MAY 2026
Madison Park Times Serving East-Central Seattle since 1983
www .M adison P ark T imes . com
Seattle Outlines AI Vision While Pausing New Facilities collaboration with workers, businesses, and community groups, while aligning with existing priorities around equity, privacy, and labor protections. City officials also highlighted the dual nature of AI, noting that the technology has the potential to improve access to information and services but could also create risks depending on how it is implemented.
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eattle officials are moving to shape how artificial intelligence develops locally, pairing a new citywide vision for AI with a temporary pause on certain infrastructure tied to the industry. Mayor Katie Wilson this week released a policy framework outlining how the city intends to approach artificial intelligence, emphasizing that future development should prioritize “human flourishing” and serve the public good. At the same time, the city has taken steps to slow the growth of AI-related facilities, including a one-year moratorium on new projects in that category while officials study their long-term impacts.
A VISION FOR AI IN SEATTLE
The mayor’s announcement positions Seattle as a potential leader in responsible AI
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development, building on a regional technology sector that includes hundreds of companies working in artificial intelligence and related fields.
The author gratefully acknowledges illustrations by great-granddaughters Natalie Liesl Hartman and Fredda Patton-Henry with editorial assistance from sons, Bob and Neil Henry. ongtime Madison Park resident Mary Henry, known for documenting the neighborhood through writing and photography, has released Madison Park Haikus, a new poetry
According to the city, the framework is intended to guide how AI is used in public services, economic development, and private industry. It emphasizes
Alongside the broader vision, the city is taking a more cautious approach to the physical infrastructure supporting AI. The one-year moratorium places a temporary halt on new AI-related facilities, allowing time for additional study and policy development. While details continue to be refined, the pause is intended to give the city space to evaluate impacts
collection centered on local landscapes and everyday scenes. The book draws from more than four decades of daily walks through the neighborhood, capturing seasonal changes, plant life, gardens, parking strips, familiar streets and the Lake Washington shoreline in short-form poems. In the book’s preface, Henry describes forming “word pictures” during her walks before returning home to shape them into haikus, many of which reflect scenes recognizable to Madison Park residents. The collection builds on Henry’s ongoing involvement in the neighborhood. She is a regular contributor to the imagery featured in Steve Lorton’s “Tree Talk,” a local column focused on plant life and the environment. Lorton described Henry’s work as an invitation for readers to share in the details she observes, noting her attention to everyday beauty and the natural world. Henry has also been featured in previous coverage for the release of Tributes: Black People Whose Names Grace Seattle Sites, her second book following Tribute: A guide to Seattle’s public parks and buildings named for Black people, both of which explore Seattle sites named for Black people and the histories behind them. While Madison Park Haikus shifts away from historical explanation, it maintains
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a strong connection to place, focusing on the small details that define daily life in the neighborhood. Copies of Madison Park Haikus may be purchased through Friends of Madison Park or Epiphany Church. Proceeds from book sales will be donated to both organizations.
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A PAUSE ON INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH
Local Writer’s New Book Is a Love Song to Madison Park
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