00:00Meta's new $27 billion AI data center is causing chaos in a small town in Louisiana.
00:07In February, I flew down to Louisiana to Richland Parish, a rural county where Meta
00:13is building a mega AI data center. Just to put it in perspective for you,
00:18this AI data center is 4 million square feet, 2,250 acres. That's roughly 70 football fields.
00:26When I was in Richland Parish, I spoke to over a dozen residents and really got to hear their
00:31concerns. People are talking about how their rents are going up because there are thousands of workers
00:37coming from out of state, staying in these massive RV parks. I also spoke to local businesses that are
00:43suffering. While there are definitely businesses that are making money hand over fist, you're also
00:48finding small businesses that are struggling because they can't get in with the right people
00:53or get the right catering jobs for the Meta workers on site, for example. And then you're also just
00:59seeing a tremendous amount of noise and bright lights. This is a massive site that's brightly
01:06lit all night long and people just see a halo over their house. It's important to keep in mind that
01:12this area of Northeast Louisiana has typically struggled with jobs, with poverty. And this AI data
01:21center is considered to be an economic boom opportunity for the whole region. A lot of people
01:27ask me whether these mega AI data centers are worth the disruption. I can tell you that I've now visited
01:32five across the country in Texas and Michigan and in Arizona, as well as Louisiana. And I can say
01:40it's hard to tell how it's going to play out. They are incredibly disruptive. The residents often don't
01:47realize what's happening until it's already happening. There are many people who still hope that the
01:52long term is beneficial for these regions. But right now, it's chaos.
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