New York creative agency Basura and musician Big Data have collaborated on a stuffed toy that resembles a data centre and emits a recording from a data centre in Virginia when squeezed.
The stuffed toy, called Bezzy, is part of a larger satirical campaign that draws attention to the impact of data centres and AI as part of the launch of Big Data's first album in over seven years.
Basura founder Rajeev Basu said the team interviewed "dozens" of people living near data centres for the project and eventually shaped it into the Adopt a Data Centre campaign that includes a website, stickers, posters and Bezzy.
Overall, it imagines "AI data centers as rescue animals looking for their forever homes" according to Basura, informed by initiatives such as WWF's Adopt-a-Panda.
Basu said the toy and campaign were meant to show the absurdity of the data centre building boom, driven by AI, which has led to noise complaints from communities near the functioning data centres.
"Adopt A Data Center is an absurd and provocative invitation to look more closely at what we're being asked to welcome into our lives," Basu told Dezeen.
The toy is handmade, with a soft body that depicts a data centre, a smile, eyes, and long legs and arms.
When it's squeezed, it emits a recording taken by one of the team's interviewees, a woman who lives by a data centre in Virginia.
"Hug me for ear piercing forever hum," reads a tag on Bezzy.
Basu said the interviews were prompted by the desire to understand what living near a data centre "actually feels like".
"The experiences varied, but the same concerns kept coming up: noise, light, changes to the land use and implications for local residents, and demands on local water and electricity," he said.
There are a total of 20 Bezzy toys as part of the release of Big Data's EP 4.0.
The team said the project is "not anti-AI, or anti-technology" but rather seeks to prompt questions about how AI is used responsibly.
"When the promises are so enormous, from transforming everyday life to shaping the future of humanity, the commitment to safety and accountability needs to be just as substantial," said Basu.
Massive data centres are currently being built around the world to support AI models and use large amounts of energy and water on top of the massive land usage. A recently announced hyperscale data centre for AI in Utah will have as much as 10,000 acres dedicated to the facilities.
Recently, residents from around Memphis, Tennessee, sued businessman Elon Musk over the noise pollution, reported NPR.
And beyond sound, scientists have released preliminary studies that point to a pronounced heat island effect as a result of data centre development.
The images are courtesy Basura