SZA Criticizes AI's Impact on Marginalized Communities

Singer SZA has publicly criticized the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, specifically pointing to the high electricity and water consumption by AI data centers such as Elon Musk’s xAI facility in Boxtown, Memphis. She argued that these operations disproportionately harm Black and Brown communities by worsening pollution and resource strain in historically marginalized areas. Community groups and the NAACP have raised concerns about xAI's unpermitted gas turbines and the resulting increase in local pollution, which exacerbates existing industrial contamination and health risks. SZA urged the public to investigate the environmental and social costs of AI, warning that technological convenience often comes at the expense of vulnerable populations. Her comments highlight growing scrutiny of AI’s environmental and social consequences, even as some artists explore its creative possibilities. The issue has intensified debate over balancing technological progress with environmental justice.