— GE HealthCare and Milwaukee Tool are leading the pack for organizations filing AI-related patents in Wisconsin, followed closely by Johnson Controls.
That’s according to research conducted by Prof. Rina Ghose, a data scientist with UW-Milwaukee whose work explores AI adoption and workforce readiness. As part of a Microsoft-backed effort, she assessed where AI-related jobs are headed and how prepared various regions of the state are for the coming changes.
“There’s higher adoption in urban tech, healthcare and education hubs, and rural areas show slower AI uptake,” she said.
Ghose also noted the study data “highlights where AI could widen disparities or create new opportunities,” as it found white-collar and “routine” office roles are at greater risk of AI displacement relative to more hands-on roles.
Part of the research project looked at which organizations are filing AI-related patents in the state, and found GE HealthCare had the most during the study period of 2022-2024 with 536 filings. That just beat Milwaukee Tool with 532, while Johnson Controls had 486 over that period.
Other top contenders include the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation with 253 AI patent filings, Snap-on Inc. with 135, Oshkosh Corp. with 127 and Kimberly-Clark with 124, followed by Kohler Co. with 65, the Medical College of Wisconsin with 43 and Briggs & Stratton with 35.
“Companies span multiple sectors: healthcare, manufacturing, research and tools,” Ghose said.
Three cities in Wisconsin made up nearly 55% of the AI patent filings during the study period, led by Milwaukee with 870, Brookfield with 565 and Madison with 447. Ghose also highlighted “emerging hubs” such as Wauwatosa with 362 and Oshkosh with 163.
Meanwhile, the study points to one broad sector — encompassing management, business, science and arts — as being most impacted by AI adoption.
Of the nearly 1.2 million total jobs that covers, 21.8% or about 260,000 total jobs were found to be at greater risk of being replaced by AI.
That was followed by sales and office roles with 19.9% or about 114,000 jobs being impacted, the service sector with 5% or 23,000, production and transportation with 3.1% or 17,000, and natural resources, construction and maintenance with 2.1% or 5,400.
— A recent survey of southcentral Wisconsin employers shows national economic uncertainty and pressures are top-of-mind, though local growth remains solid.
The third annual Regional Employer Survey from the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s Next Normal Workgroup found 81% of respondents said their revenue increased or didn’t change this year, a slight decline from 84% in last year’s survey.
Meanwhile, 90% of respondents rated the current business climate as average or above, falling from 97% last year. And 49% reported more uncertainty than last year, similar to last year’s survey’s finding of 51%.
“Though many respondents cited economic uncertainty and domestic and global headwinds as barriers, the overall outlook for the region’s business climate remains positive,” Chamber Vice President Kevin Little said in a statement. “Employers continue to demonstrate confidence in the region’s economy, with strong expectations for growth in the year ahead.”
Top concerns referenced by respondents include economic uncertainty, inflation, healthcare costs and trade or tariffs, the survey found. Authors note national economic pressures top business concerns for employers in the region.
But at the same time, healthcare jumped from the seventh-most common barrier to business success last year with 28% to third-most common this year with 42%.
And though AI is more widely used — with 83% of employers reporting doing so, compared to 79% last year and 51% in 2024 — more than half of those using the technology say its operational integration remains “minimal.”
The survey was conducted through an online survey tool that was circulated by members of the Next Normal workgroup by email and social media. Responses were collected from 218 organizations Sept. 2-22, and report authors say most responses came from small, locally owned companies.
— Dem gubernatorial nominee David Crowley reaffirmed he would sign a bill ending the state’s data center tax break.
Crowley was previously noncommittal about ending the state’s sales tax and use exemption, saying he wanted to take a more holistic approach to the state’s tax code.
But in remarks at an event at Madison’s Overture Center last week, he said he would “absolutely” sign off on ending the tax break.
“I’ve always been willing to look at reforming the tax break, and what I said was if the state Legislature brings it to my desk, once I become the governor, I absolutely will sign it,” Crowley said yesterday, adding that Wisconsin can’t continue to give a “free ride” to billionaires and Big Tech companies.
Crowley also said he supported a “pause” on data center development while the Department of Natural Resources completes a statewide review of the anticipated impacts of the data center buildout. That review comes as the result of a legal deal reached between environmental groups, a data center developer and the state agency.
Crowley’s GOP opponent, Tom Tiffany, has also said he will end tax breaks for data centers.
Asked about Tiffany’s stance, Crowley said Tiffany was “running away” from votes he made in Congress for a bill that would have accelerated federal permitting for data centers and other artificial intelligence infrastructure, and for another that would have barred state-level AI regulations. Those bills did not become law.
Crowley also went after Tiffany for his vote on the Republican-authored budget reconciliation bill. A left-leaning think tank found four tech companies avoided $68 billion in taxes in 2025 from tax breaks in that bill.
A Tiffany campaign spokesperson called Crowley a “political flip-flopper” who “advocated for turning Wisconsin into the data center hub for the entire globe.”
“Tom Tiffany has consistently pledged for months to eliminate all subsidies for data centers, while David Crowley has repeatedly defended them. Wisconsinites deserve better than Crowley’s political games,” the spokesperson said.
— UW Health’s new $140 million expansion of its East Madison Hospital will enable 30% more surgeries and 6% more admissions when it opens next month.
The health system yesterday announced the 120,000-square-foot expansion project will open Nov. 2, bringing the hospital’s total size to 620,000 square feet. It added six new operating rooms, more than doubled surgical prep and recovery bay capacity and boosted inpatient bed capacity by 14 to 98.
The added capacity comes amid rising demand for medical services at the hospital, according to details provided by UW Health.
East Madison Hospital has seen surgical volumes rise from about 6,000 procedures in 2015 to 14,000 last year. At the same time, inpatient admissions have doubled from 2,200 to 4,400 per year, according to Ryann DeGraff, vice president and regional chief operating officer for the hospital.
“The need for specialized care continues to grow across the region,” he said in the release. “Many patients travel to Madison for care that isn’t available in their local communities, and this expansion helps us meet that increased demand and improve access for patients across Wisconsin.”
The hospital says it has hired 250 workers to meet the needs of the expanded space, in addition to its existing staff.
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— State officials announced $11.5 million in new funding for energy innovation projects in Wisconsin.
Gov. Tony Evers and the state Public Service Commission yesterday rolled out the Energy Innovation Grant Program funding for 36 projects around the state, going to manufacturing companies, academic institutions, school districts, nonprofits and local and tribal governments.
Grant funding goes to projects aimed at boosting deployment of renewable energy and energy storage, efforts to improve energy efficiency and demand response, and energy planning initiatives.
See recipient details including grant amounts.
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UW Health: East Madison Hospital $140 million expansion opens Nov. 2
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