Danny Weber
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich launches website for residents to report issues with AI data centers, including electricity, water, and noise concerns.
Erin Brockovich, famous for her high-profile case against Pacific Gas & Electric and the Julia Roberts film, has turned her attention to a new technological issue: the rapid construction of data centers for artificial intelligence. The activist and environmental advocate launched a website called Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting, where residents of U.S. cities can report problems related to these facilities.
The site already displays dozens of operational, under-construction, and planned data centers, along with over 2,700 reports from residents across the country. Brockovich describes the situation as a race for AI infrastructure unfolding town by town: some communities welcome the new projects, while others see them delayed, challenged, or canceled under local pressure.
Residents' main complaints involve electricity and water consumption. Large data centers require enormous power for servers and cooling systems, which critics say can strain energy grids and affect utility rates. Water use is another sensitive issue, especially in regions where resources are already scarce or contentious between industry and the public.
Another problem is noise. People living near large industrial facilities complain about constant low-frequency hum, equipment operation, and possible infrasound effects. The site also mentions long-term risks: site selection, infrastructure scaling, electronic waste disposal, and the overall impact on quality of life.
At the federal level, U.S. authorities support the development of such infrastructure, but local opposition is growing. According to data cited in the article, more Americans are opposing data center construction near their homes, and dozens of jurisdictions have already imposed moratoriums to assess the consequences of such projects before issuing new permits.
It remains unclear whether Brockovich plans to use the collected data for lawsuits, but the platform format appears to be a first step toward systematizing grievances. For the industry, this is a critical signal: the development of artificial intelligence is increasingly being judged not just by model performance and investment, but also by the cost that local communities bear for this infrastructure.
© RusPhotoBank