Data center backlash disrupts Seattle AI Week kickoff

Activists from Seattle climate group Troublemakers interrupted the opening panel of the third annual Seattle AI Week, demanding a moratorium on new data centers in Washington state. The same day, Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, roughly a quarter of its workforce, as it spends tens of billions on AI infrastructure.

• Protesters interrupted an AI and economic growth panel before security led them out
• Seattle City Council unanimously paused new large data centers for a year in June
• Washington AI Resistance organized at least 19 protests statewide this month
• Microsoft offered buyouts to ~60,000 employees, about a quarter of its workforce