Allen Institute for AI leader challenges industry norms with open approach to AI

• Read profiles of other “Uncommon Thinkers”: Protein design researcher Ingrid Swanson Pultz; fusion energy expert Uri Shumlak, Stoke Space CEO Andy Lapsa, and TerraPower Isotopes’ Chris Dunckley.

• This year’s honorees will be recognized this Thursday, Dec. 12, at the GeekWire Gala. Uncommon Thinkers is presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners.

Microsoft uses a lot of water to cool its data centers. In a bid to cut that consumption, the company has revealed plans for a closed-loop system that will still use water to cool heat-generating processing chips, but less will be lost to evaporation. Read more.

Co-working company Industrious is opening another location in Seattle, with a 232-seat-space at Dexter Landing, an office development overlooking Lake Union. Read more.

Is your team secretly using AI tools? New research shows 2 in 3 employees use ChatGPT without their manager knowing, raising questions about covert AI adoption in the workplace. Leaders who address this head-on can transform hidden experimentation into better team collaboration, communication, and effectiveness in the age of generative AI. Read more.

What do Candy Cane Lane, Peppermint Pass, and Lollipop Lounge have in common? They are among the sweet stations at this week’s GeekWire Gala! Satisfy your sweet tooth and network with the Seattle tech community at our annual holiday party on Dec. 12 — limited tickets remain, so grab yours here. 

Hot Links: 

• Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman on “the next search engine.” (The Verge)

• Amazon scored eight Golden Globe nominations for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Challengers," and "Nickel Boys." (Amazon MGM Studios via X)
• The age of “intelligent agents” is the internet’s third wave. (Pack Ventures)

• “Ghost engineers” are Silicon Valley’s least productive coders. (Washington Post)