<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3UXepf_1GwxWaBf00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3UXepf_1GwxWaBf00" width="425" height="237" ><figcaption>The data center of CNPC in Changping district of Beijing, China. Photo credits to Charlie Fong</figcaption></figure>Artificial intelligence can write essays and generate pictures, but its biggest footprint might not be online. It might be here in Arizona. Data centers, the massive facilities powering artificial intelligence and everyday internet services, are expanding across Arizona. Companies promise jobs and economic growth, but residents are questioning the cost to local communities. For a state that spends half the summer reminding people to conserve water, building energy-intensive data centers deserves some scrutiny.Even South Park has entered the conversation. The animated series has satirized the data center issue using its signature humor to poke fun at wealthy tech leaders and the communities, environments, and jobs affected by their projects. Beneath these jokes is a serious question: who actually benefits from the AI boom? That question matters in high school, too. Often students will use ChatGPT, Meta AI, and other programs to do work for them. Data centers aren’t inherently bad. They support essential online services, create jobs, and may bring investments to Arizona. Randy Huggins, Glendale’s development services director, said that a new data center is expected to generate 200 new jobs and bring $150 million in revenue for Glendale in the next 10 years. However, those benefits shouldn’t excuse a lack of transparency about water consumption, electricity demand, and neighborhood impacts. Developers should explain their resource use, and local officials should make sure residents have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their communities. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in May approved a data center between Glendale and Surprise. Residents have openly criticized the idea: “They treat Surprise and the West Valley like it’s an industrial dumping ground and we matter too. Our children matter,” said Hilary Webber of the Project Baccara Opposition Coalition, according to AZFamily. Hollie Tolmachoff, who lives half a mile from the proposed data center, said, “Now we are in a spot where if you throw our kids outside to experience the day and have fun in the grass, play with chickens and vegetables are, they just going to be exposed to pollutants and noise and all the things from this facility,” according to AZFamily.The internet might feel limitless, but Arizona’s resources aren’t. If companies want to build the future in our backyard, the people who live there deserve to have a say.</div></body>

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Artificial intelligence can write essays and generate pictures, but its biggest footprint might not be online. It might be here in Arizona. Data centers, the massive facilities powering artificial intelligence and everyday internet services, are expanding across Arizona. Companies promise jobs and economic growth, but residents are questioning the cost to local communities. For a state that spends half the summer reminding people to conserve water, building energy-intensive data centers deserves some scrutiny.

Data centers are cool, until they’re in your backyard

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Artificial intelligence can write essays and generate pictures, but its biggest footprint might not be online. It might be here in Arizona. Data centers, t

Data centers are cool, until they’re in your backyard

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