In Southaven, Mississippi, agents hired by Elon Musk’s xAI are proposing to buy homes only if owners agree not to sue over the deafening noise from nearby AI data centers.
Key points
- xAI agents are offering to buy homes only if owners agree not to pursue legal action over data‑center noise, aiming to acquire up to 418 properties.
- Residents near the facilities report continuous, aircraft‑engine‑like noise that disrupts sleep and daily life.
- Legal challenges have already been filed, and the noise dispute is becoming a partisan issue in the run‑up to the midterm elections.
According to a report by The Guardian, real‑estate agents working for Elon Musk’s artificial‑intelligence venture xAI have been going door‑to‑door in Southaven, Mississippi, offering to purchase residents’ houses on the condition that they sign documents waiving any future lawsuits over the noise generated by the company’s data centers.
The agents say the goal is to acquire roughly 418 homes; recordings obtained by the newspaper indicate that 18 homeowners have already signed such agreements. The targeted properties sit near three large data‑center facilities that have been built in Southaven and nearby Memphis, Tennessee, over the past two years.
Buyout offers tied to non‑sue agreements
Local resident Elizabeth Rose told The Guardian the noise sounds "like an airplane engine" and is continuous, waking her at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. She added that the constant sound makes her angry and forces her to leave the area, describing the situation as "insane."
Earlier this year, three Southaven residents filed a lawsuit against xAI, citing "near‑constant noise, vibrations and other nuisance‑level harms" from the power plant that supplies the data centers. The controversy has entered the political arena, with the issue becoming a point of debate ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, and even prompting reactions from leaders of other AI labs such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
Reader questions
What are the agents offering Southaven residents?
Agents hired by xAI are proposing to purchase homes on the condition that owners sign agreements not to sue over the noise from nearby AI data centers.
How many homeowners have agreed to the buyout so far?
Recordings obtained by The Guardian show that 18 homeowners have already signed the non‑sue agreements.
Why is the noise issue becoming political?
The noise complaints and related lawsuits are being discussed as part of a bipartisan debate ahead of the midterm elections, with the controversy drawing attention from national political figures and AI industry leaders.
Source: futurism.com
