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Monica Nickelsburg

AI & Economy Reporter

About

Monica Nickelsburg covers artificial intelligence, tech, and the local economy in the Pacific Northwest.

Monica came to KUOW in 2023. Before that, she spent six years covering the intersection of technology and politics for GeekWire and worked as a digital producer for The Week.

Monica grew up in Los Angeles and got her B.A. in Journalism and History from New York University before landing in Seattle.

Location: Seattle

Languages Spoken: English

Pronouns: she/her

Podcasts

Stories

  • So much for starter homes

    The median price of a single-family home in Seattle is around $1 million, and the greater Seattle area is the third most expensive in the nation. So, why do prices keep going up? 

  • Is our AI obsession good for small town America?

    AI has a backend, and it looks like massive data centers sprawling across farmland in places like central Washington. Today, we travel to a place where the data center boom is well underway to find out how the AI boom is reshaping small towns.

  • The next earthquake is coming. Is old Seattle worth saving?

    The Nisqually earthquake did at least $2 billion worth of damage across the Puget Sound region. It hit Seattle’s historic brick and stone buildings hard, and the city has learned a lot of expensive lessons about what would make them safer. 

  • Can light rail make Bellevue hip?

    Bellevue’s older sibling, Seattle, has been in the limelight for a long time. Can light rail make it Bellevue’s time to shine?

  • Is AI the new electricity?

    Microsoft's Brad Smith says the AI revolution could be bigger than the Internet, bigger than mobile, and that the best comparison is the advent of electricity.  So, what does it mean for all of us?

  • Could tariffs bring back the lumberjack?

    President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase U.S. logging to bring back lumber jobs. Could Trump's strategy revive the timber industry in the Northwest? We went to a sawmill in the foothills of Mt. Rainier to find out.