Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson has become a leading political critic of AI infrastructure expansion, citing pollution and health dangers in South Memphis, where xAI is expanding facilities near predominantly Black neighborhoods. Groups suing xAI say the turbines powering the company's supercomputing site could emit more than 2,500 tons of smog-forming pollution each year into a part of Tennessee that already has the state's highest rate of asthma-related emergency room visits. Pearson said, "AI is controlled by people. Data centers are built by people. And those people and how they exist and operate in the world are a threat to humanity." A Gallup survey released in March 2026 found that 70% of Americans would oppose a data center in their community, with air pollution and water use among the top worries. Major tech companies are projected to spend about $670 billion on additional facilities in 2026. AI systems require large data centers consuming vast amounts of electricity and, in some cases, significant amounts of water for cooling, which can leave nearby communities with dirtier air, tighter resources, and potentially higher power bills. Pearson says relatives and other nearby residents in Memphis have seen respiratory problems get worse. A July Politico poll found that 41% of Americans said they would oppose a data center planned within three miles of where they live, up from 28% in January. xAI said it reached an agreement with the neighboring State of Mississippi to remove by July 2027 turbines that were operating