AI boom and D.C. hot mics: OpenAI and Microsoft go to Washington, Amazon surveys the field

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: The rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence takes center stage in business technology spending, in Washington D.C., and in the global tech power struggle. We break down a headline-grabbing U.S. Senate hearing on AI and U.S.–China competitiveness, featuring testimony from Microsoft’s Brad Smith and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. There was also a fun Seattle tech callback in the form of a hot-mic moment from Sen. Maria Cantwell during Sen. Ted Cruz's opening statement. Plus, we dive into a new global survey from Amazon Web Services showing just how quickly companies are making generative AI their top tech priority — even ahead of cybersecurity. U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Winning the AI Race: Strengthening U.S. Capabilities in Computing and Innovation OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: ChatGPT will ‘probably not’ replace Google as top search engine Previously: Microsoft asks Trump to loosen chip export limits Bloomberg: Trump plans to rescind AI chip export curbs Amazon Web Services Generative AI Adoption Index Generative AI tops cybersecurity in 2025 tech budget priorities, new AWS study finds With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.