Musk’s xAI hit with class action over power plant's 'inescapable' noise

Residents in Mississippi are suing Elon Musk's xAI and SpaceX, alleging that a power plant supplying nearby data centers is emitting "omnipresent and inescapable" noise. The class action lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims this excessive noise erodes residents' health and home values, creating a public nuisance.

The plaintiffs, representing an estimated 10,000 people, are seeking damages for emotional distress, diminished property values, and other harms. The lawsuit asserts that the "AI boom is wreaking havoc on communities across the United States" by subjecting thousands to near-constant noise and vibrations.

Elon Musk is not personally named as a defendant, but his companies xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech are. A lawyer for the plaintiffs stated, "Our homes are supposed to be a sanctuary for us against the world." He added, "When they are invaded by noise 24 hours a day, it takes that fundamental peace of a good and decent life away from us."

This legal action follows a separate lawsuit filed in April by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which accused xAI of violating US environmental rules concerning the power plant and data centers. The US Justice Department has indicated it may intervene in the NAACP case due to the legal and policy questions it raises about the government's role in AI infrastructure.

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Our homes are supposed to be a sanctuary for us against the world. When they are invaded by noise 24 hours a day, it takes that fundamental peace of a good and decent life away from us.