Like it or not, "smart robots" enabled with artificial intelligence are taking on jobs that only humans used to do - maybe even yours. Whether that's something to fear or embrace depends on whether the robot could replace you, or actually make you smarter.

In this episode, Joshua tags along with a robot "inspector" on an apartment tower construction site. The robot makes the rounds each day, helping its human counterparts detect construction defects and safety violations. Its use marks a new era for robots, which typically toil in highly controlled and predictable environments. But construction sites - like many other aspects of life - are messy, unpredictable places. This could open the door to many new applications.

Could you work alongside a smart robot? You may soon get to find out.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle is littered with buildings that seem obsolete in our post-pandemic economy. Now an unprecedented number of them are going up for sale and selling at deep discounts. Some of those new owners will renovate to retain the history or character of a building. Others will tear them down and start again. In a Booming city like Seattle, we need to use every square foot of space. So how do we build for the future without demolishing our past?

To find out, Joshua revisits a lost neighborhood karaoke bar and a renovated Elk’s Temple in Tacoma. And he learns that renovation and rebuilding aren’t our only options.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the months following Boeing’s now-infamous door panel blowout, speculation has swirled that the company’s troubles can be traced back to its decision to outsource so much of its manufacturing.

It’s easy to accuse Boeing of putting profits above all else, but economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to understand what went into that decision and why the economics of building airplanes are so weird.

She didn’t have to go very far to find answers.
Listen to Booming's special Father's Day episode.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guaranteed basic income is an anti-poverty policy gaining traction in Washington state. Tacoma just started its second basic income pilot, on the heels of a separate King County pilot. We sat down with Natalie Foster, the architect of more than 130 basic income pilots across the country to understand a surprising finding from King County’s basic income experiment, and what it means for the economy more broadly.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cities around the country are facing down a catch-22. In just a few short years, they need to somehow get off of fossil fuels while meeting surging electricity demand. The crisis is especially acute in the Seattle area, where demand for power is expected to increase by up to 50% and new energy-hungry datacenters are cropping up all the time.

On this episode of Booming, we uncover a surprising solution that's hiding in plain sight. Will it be enough to keep the lights on?

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Booming, can electric vehicles really save us from our fossil fuel addiction? Economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg went searching for a "Tesla Graveyard." What she found reveals how complicated our transition to a greener transportation future will be.

Plus, our growth reporter Joshua McNichols takes us to opening day of the light rail that could transform one of the most car-centric parts of our region, and our hosts try to guess the wacky animal names carmakers are giving their new EVs.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know Washington's cities are booming, attracting thousands of newcomers each year. But did you know demand for Pacific Northwest campgrounds and trails is growing even faster?

This week on Booming: why landing a good spot outdoors can feel harder than scoring Taylor Swift tickets, and what you can do to get around the campground crunch.

Plus, we'll put our new campsite hunting tools to the test in a race to reserve a spot on one of the hottest weekends of the summer -- and take you inside Seattle's 'ghost mall.'

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boeing's hiring of its new CEO of Commercial Airplanes is the latest in a series of women who finally break through the glass ceiling at male-dominated companies, but only when there's a crisis to solve. Researchers call this the glass cliff. It can be a once-in-a-career opportunity for women, but it can also be a huge professional liability.

This week on Booming, we ask an expert why the glass cliff exists, and what the future looks like for the first woman to lead Boeing's Seattle-based jet manufacturing department.

Plus, the Department of Justice goes after landlords for an alleged price fixing scheme that uses AI to artificially inflate rates. And the Booming team tries to guess which crises forced companies to finally let women into the boys club.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.