Despite only being up and running for two years, Elon Musk's xAI is already causing a stir. Much like the controversial tech mogul himself, xAI continues to grab headlines for all the wrong reasons.
More than just concerns about artificial intelligence coming for our jobs and the late Pope Francis warning about its potential 'evils', there's the more immediate danger of what environmental impact AI could have on our already fragile planet Earth.
With AI companies requiring massive servers to run their immense computing power, these also require equally massive stocks of water to keep them cool.
OpenAI's Sam Altman wasn't joking when he said overuse of ChatGPT was leading to servers melting, with people shocked by how much water it takes to use a single ChatGPT prompt. Elon Musk founded xAI in March 2023, but just over two years later, it's in the spotlight amid accusations of environmental issues and a potential impact it's having on residents in Memphis, Tennessee
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Following damning reports that Musk's xAI facility was already using 'illegal' generators to power itself, Politico claims that it's 'belching' pollution and is now leading Tennessee in emergency department visits for asthma.
The 35 methane gas turbines that power xAI’s supercomputer are apparently running without the typical pollution controls that are required by federal rules, while the company supposedly has no Clean Air Act permits.
In data reviewed by Politico, the 11 months since xAI arrived in Memphis have seen the tech giant become one of Shelby County’s biggest contributors of smog-producing nitrogen oxides. The xAI facility is apparently already in an area that was considered unhealthy due to smog.
Alongside the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America deeming that Memphis was already the asthma capital of the nation, the xAI turbines are said to spew out between 1,200 to 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides every year.
The Southern Environmental Law Center estimates this is far more than the adjacent gas-fired power plant and nearby oil refinery.
Musk was waxing lyrical about the February launch of Grok3, hyping the chatbot as he said: "We have generators on one side of the building, just trailer after trailer of generators until we can get the utility power to come in."
Speaking at an April public hearing about the turbines, resident Alexis Humphreys said: "I can’t breathe at home, it smells like gas outside. How come I can’t breathe at home and y’all get to breathe at home?"
xAI’s environmental consultant, Shannon Lynn, reiterated that as the turbines are temporary, they don’t require federal permits for emissions of NOx and pollutants like formaldehyde. Environmental groups and former EPA officials say the loophole shouldn't apply to xAI.
The company has now applied for permits for 15 permanent turbines, although Lynn says it won't install pollution controls until the application is approved. After this, local xAI representative Brent Mayo claims it "will make xAI the lowest-emitting facility in the country."
KeShaun Pearson heads up the nonprofit Memphis Community Against Pollution and refers to Memphis as a 'sacrifice zone' that he claims led to the death of his grandmothers in their '60s. His brother, Rep. Justin Pearson, concluded: "They put our lungs and our air on the auction block and sold us to the richest man in the world."
Politico says Musk hasn't publicly responded to pollution concerns or requests for comment at the time of publication.