One interesting aspect about artificial intelligence is that it requires authentic intelligence. AI skills represent the high-tech learning and applications that will play an increasingly large role in the global economy.
Another interesting aspect is that the AI industry is not strictly defined by geography. While certain amenities — abundant and inexpensive electricity, for example — are necessary for data centers, employees who construct artificial intelligence networks can live and work just about anywhere.
Unlike, say, farming or extraction industries, AI is not dependent upon having a particular landscape. Unlike, say, the auto industry or food processing, workers do not need to be centrally located.
Given all of this — and the speed with which the phrase “artificial intelligence” has permeated the lexicon — a study from Stanford University is particularly interesting to those of us in Washington. The latest iteration of the annual report shows that Washington has the nation’s highest per-capita rate of AI jobs.
In 2023, our state had 14,725 job postings calling for artificial intelligence skills. That pales in comparison to California’s 70,630 postings, but it ranks higher in terms of a percentage of the population.
As media outlet States Newsroom writes about the Stanford report: “Generative AI skills, or the ability to build algorithms that produce text, images or other data when prompted, were sought after most, with nearly 60 percent of AI-related jobs requiring those skills. … Building technology that can generate and translate text was second in demand.”
Of course, Washington has a long connection to innovative industries. It was the birthplace of Boeing, which transformed air travel. And the birthplace of Starbucks, which transformed how the world consumes coffee.
But even those cannot compare with the role our state has played in ushering in the digital age. Microsoft was actually born in New Mexico, but it was the brainchild of two childhood friends from Seattle, and the company quickly relocated to the Puget Sound area. And Amazon was founded in Seattle and has grown into the state’s largest private employer.
Given that history, it is not surprising that Washington is among the leaders in the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry. It also is not surprising that the state has taken steps to govern the development and use of artificial intelligence.
Washington is one of five states that has developed guidance for the use of AI in public schools. A directive issued by the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction says: “The state’s responsibility is to provide students, educators, and school district administrators with the resources and tools they need to understand how to use these technologies effectively, ethically, and safely.”
And Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order this year instructing state agencies to develop policies governing the use of AI.
Through all of this, fears remain that artificial intelligence will lead to the elimination of jobs. But the White House Council of Economic Advisers said last month that it found “little evidence that AI will negatively impact overall employment.” Instead, it is likely that artificial intelligence — like technological developments before it — will alter some jobs while creating new ones.
While the development of AI can sound frightening — the unknown always is — it also generates opportunities for economic growth and improved efficiency. Washington’s role in that development is promising and should be encouraged.
