Hi, I'm Joshua McNichols.

And I'm Monica Nicholsberg.

We host KUOW's Economy Podcast, booming.

ChatGPT may feel like magic, but every time you ask AI a question, it goes to a real place.

AI has a back end, and it looks like massive data centers sprawling across farmland in central Washington.

On our latest episode, is our AI obsession good for small town America?

Listen to booming on the KUOW app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Good afternoon from the KUOW Newsroom.

This is Seattle now.

I'm Patricia Murphy.

Coming up, an update on today's May Day protests in Seattle.

But first, here's a roundup of today's top stories.

It's Thursday, May 1st.

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Seriously, more than 90% of our support comes from listeners and local businesses.

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It's a national two-day effort to strengthen public media everywhere,

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Washington's gender-inclusive school policies have sparked a federal investigation of the state

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