SZA is sounding the alarm on the impact of AI.
On Tuesday, the SOS singer shared a meme on her Instagram Story featuring The X-Files character Dana Scully with the caption, “Yeah, I use AI. Actual Imagination.”
Alongside the image, SZA added a pointed message: “AI is killing and polluting Black and Brown cities. None of you care ‘cause [you’re] codependent on a machine. Have a great life.”
While excitement around artificial intelligence continues to surge—billionaires like Peter Thiel have even said AI is the only thing preventing “total stagnation”—SZA is calling attention to its darker side, especially for Black and Brown communities.
On her Instagram Story, the SOS singer slammed the environmental impact of AI, stating it’s “killing and polluting Black and Brown cities” as people become more “codependent on a machine.”
And she’s not wrong to raise concern. Studies show that AI technology comes with a heavy environmental cost. According to MIT News, running AI systems demands huge amounts of electricity—about five times more than a regular web search—drastically increasing carbon emissions. It also requires vast amounts of water to keep the hardware cool, which strains local water supplies and damages nearby ecosystems.
One alarming example is Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, which set up a supercomputer facility in South Memphis, Tennessee, last year. According to The Guardian, the facility has already become one of the largest air polluters in the county, just miles away from historically Black neighborhoods that have long dealt with industrial pollution, higher cancer and asthma rates, and lower life expectancies.
Boxtown—one of those predominantly Black communities—has been especially vulnerable. Already dealing with poor air quality, residents now face additional environmental stress. Health data shows Boxtown locals are at a greater risk of cancer than the national average.
The NAACP even threatened to sue xAI, accusing the company of operating natural-gas-burning turbines without the required permits, and sending toxic emissions into nearby residential areas. “We cannot afford to normalize this kind of environmental injustice,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson in a statement to The New York Times.
While SZA is raising red flags, other artists have embraced AI. Last month, Kelis shared that she homeschools her child using AI, The Alchemist defended AI-generated artwork for an Erykah Badu single, and Gunna revealed he’s looking to sign an AI artist.
