When Elon Musk’s xAI opened a data center called Colossus in South Memphis for its chatbot, Grok, local politicians and business leaders hailed it as the first step towards turning Greater Memphis into “America’s Digital Delta.” But residents soon noticed they were getting sick – and blamed the data center’s methane gas turbines, installed without permits to support the center’s massive electricity needs. Now South Memphis has become a flashpoint in the growing debate over the human and environmental costs of powering AI.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.Featured in this episode:KeShaun PearsonSources:Reporting by the Memphis Commercial AppealTime’s “We Are the Last of the Forgotten: Inside the Memphis Community Battling Elon Musk’s xAI” https://time.com/7308925/elon-musk-memphis-ai-data-center/ The Wall Street Journal’s “Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI”https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-xai-memphis-tennessee-power-dec4c70d The Natural Resources Defense Council’s “The AI Boom Is Stressing the Grid—But It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way”https://www.nrdc.org/stories/ai-boom-stressing-grid-it-doesnt-have-be-waySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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