Climate activists disrupt Seattle AI Week over data-center growth

Climate activists interrupted Seattle AI Week’s October 26 opening at Pier 70, confronting a state official over technology companies’ influence while kayakers protested outside. The confrontation brought demands for data-center moratoriums into an event promoting the region’s AI economy. Organizers said the disruption would not change their commitment to keeping future events open, The Seattle Times reported.

A confrontation inside, a banner on the bay

Three demonstrators disrupted panel discussions at AI House, a gathering space for startups and others working in artificial intelligence. Their target included Beau Perschbacher, a senior policy adviser to Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, who appeared alongside OpenAI’s Mattie Zazueta. OpenAI was also the event’s presenting sponsor.

Roberta Sam, a Climate Defiance member and the first demonstrator to speak, challenged the state’s ties to the industry. Protesters argued that officials’ participation alongside technology executives reflected corporate influence over government, which they blamed for preventing regulation. Sam accused data-center expansion of damaging both the environment and the economy.

Outside, 10 demonstrators in kayaks held an orange banner reading “Power for people, not for tech.” The paddlers represented Climate Defiance, Oil and Gas Action Network and Seattle-based Troublemakers. Their demands extended beyond electricity and water consumption: they also opposed proposed natural-gas pipeline expansions expected to support power generation.

The groups sought construction moratoriums and strict state AI rules, with the public having as much say as industry. That made the protest a challenge to who shapes policy, not simply an objection to a particular facility.

The economic case inside AI House

Industry speakers offered a different account of what Washington stood to gain—or lose. Ascend founding partner Kirby Winfield described Seattle as a top-tier startup ecosystem. He pointed to a CBRE ranking placing Seattle second for AI talent and to the presence of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

A University of Washington analysis presented another measure of that base: 577 AI companies operated in the Seattle area as of 2025, placing it fifth nationally by company count. Researcher Suresh Kotha said investment was spread broadly enough that the regional AI economy did not depend on a single company.

Former Gov. Christine Gregoire, now leading the business group Challenge Seattle, warned that other states wanted to lure Washington companies away. She praised the state’s technology and innovation strengths but criticized its business environment. Her argument framed policy as a risk to regional competitiveness, while protesters pressed for stronger restrictions.

People care enough to want to come together and talk and disagree and figure this out

Joe Braidwood, founder and CEO of Glacis Technologies, speaking to The Seattle Times

Officials defend safeguards; organizers keep the doors open

Perschbacher answered the demonstrators by pointing to chatbot regulations approved earlier in 2026 and Washington’s environmental laws. He called environmental concerns about data centers “legitimate,” but did not address the pipeline proposals before conference staff escorted the demonstrators away.

Electricity supply also drew attention in the panel discussion. According to GeekWire’s coverage, summarized by The Cool Down, Perschbacher acknowledged data centers’ significant electricity use and the challenge of meeting demand alongside electric vehicles and heat pumps. On water, he said a state review found consumption was not out of line with a typical industrial user.

During a later panel, state Sen. Marko Liias argued that communities should receive energy before data centers when supplies become scarce. GeekWire also reported that he wanted facilities to add clean energy to the grid, reuse water and abandon nondisclosure agreements that keep communities uninformed.

The initial interruption drew scattered boos from the roughly 200 attendees. But Nick Ellingson, vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Washington Technology Industry Association, which hosted AI Week, said discussion and debate were the point. The activists said they each bought a $100 ticket; Ellingson said the disruption would not change plans to keep future events open.