GeekWire’s startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory .Ryan Sloan.Editor’s note: Ryan Sloan, a data scientist based in Seattle, wrote this guest post after assessing the GeekWire 200, our list of top Pacific Northwest startups.I recently read that a company in Finland is using AI to find the “perfect coffee blend.” And here I am buying an imperfect blend of beans from a local coffee roaster like a sucker.There’s little question that AI is everywhere. I have a wide network of product managers and data scientists, and the vast majority of them are working on an AI integration or product of some sort. Companies talk about AI with enthusiasm — who doesn’t want “perfect” coffee?The market’s roaring enthusiasm for AI technology doesn’t transfer to individuals, though. Gallup’s 2024 survey found that only 13% of Americans believe AI does more good than harm. On top of that, 77% don’t trust businesses to use AI responsibly.I’m a data scientist in Seattle, so I wondered: how are local companies approaching the AI trend? Is it really everywhere in the startup bubble, or am I in an even smaller AI bubble? Is the hype out of control? Are they publicly committed to responsibility? (Spoiler: You’re not going to like all the answers).I took a deep dive into the public-facing content of some of the fastest-growing startups in the Pacific Northwest to analyze their AI-related language.Data and methodsThe GeekWire 200 is a ranked list of 200 fast-growing startups in the Pacific Northwest

- Tara Mitchell was named vice president of sales at Humanly, a Seattle startup that helps companies automate their recruiting functions.

GeekWire’s in-depth startup coverage tells the stories of the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene.Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly, during an episode of the GeekWire series “Elevator Pitch.” (GeekWire File Photo)Humanly, a Seattle startup that helps companies automate their recruiting functions, announced the acquisition of Teamable, a San Francisco startup offering similar AI-boosted HR tools.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.“Together, we are redefining talent acquisition by providing customers with the tools they need not only to find the best candidates but also to engage and convert them effectively,” Humanly CEO Prem Kumar said in a statement. “We are making the dream of posting a job and having qualified candidates appear on your calendar — without the manual effort in-between — a reality.”Teamable CEO Matthew Raymond will join Humanly as vice president of product.Teamable launched in 2017. The company was previously led by Justin Palmer, who is now CTO at Clara AI.Humanly will have just under 50 employees following the deal.Customers use Humanly to screen job candidates, schedule interviews, automate initial communication, run reference checks, and more. The Seattle startup raised $12 million almost a year ago.Some recruiting companies have cut costs or laid off workers following the tech downturn that began in 2022. Jobs site Indeed laid off 8% of its workforce this month, and Seattle startup SeekOut also laid off staff