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Lawsuit over Mississippi data center power plant… Department of Justice: "Strengthening AI is national policy"
Amid allegations that Elon Musk's xAI, the artificial intelligence company of the world's richest man, illegally operated a power plant causing air pollution, the Donald Trump administration has come out in support of Musk.
The US daily New York Times (NYT) reported on the 14th (local time) that the Department of Justice has decided to directly review a lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and others against MZX Tech, an xAI affiliate, regarding air pollutant emissions.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustaf submitted a document to the US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi on the afternoon of the 13th, stating, "It is US policy to strengthen and maintain America's global AI dominance for human prosperity, competitiveness, and national security."
He added, "We are looking for an opportunity to intervene if a court ruling or order is inconsistent with (federal government policy)," and asked the court for additional time to review the lawsuit.
This is interpreted to suggest that the government may intervene if the lawsuit concludes unfavorably for xAI, an artificial intelligence company.
According to the NAACP, xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech installed 27 unlicensed gas turbines to power the Mississippi data center. These turbines appear to have been installed on mobile units, seemingly circumventing federal health and pollution regulations.
As a result, the NAACP estimates that 1,700 tons of smog-causing substances could be emitted annually in areas primarily inhabited by Black residents.
Despite these concerns raised by civil society groups, xAI was found to have added more generators. According to the NYT, xAI increased the number of mobile gas turbines to 50 as of June 6.
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