Memphis residents want to use public use funds from AI facilities for neighborhood safety, surveillance, and home repairs.”
This data was revealed during the first meeting of the Advisory Board Related to Public Use Funds from AI properties on Thursday. The board was founded as a result of the passage of an ordinance that allows for property tax revenues from AI facilities in Memphis to be used as public funds for projects and financial aid for communities within a five-mile radius of the facility.
According to Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, the purpose of the advisory board is to ensure that funds from artificial intelligence properties are used in a responsible manner.
“The purpose of this advisory board is to provide oversight, transparency and community-informed recommendations regarding the allocations of public funds derived from artificial intelligence-related properties within the city of Memphis,” Cooper-Sutton said.
City officials said these properties include the xAI facilities on Paul R. Lowry and Tulane Road
Cooper Sutton said it was important that the money benefits those directly impacted by these facilities. She said the advisory board is tasked with reflecting the needs of these communities through transparency and community engagement.
The board will be comprised of nine members including Cooper-Sutton and city council members Rhonda Logan and Pearl Eva Walker, plus City of Memphis chief of staff and LGBTQ+ liaison Renee Sekander, chief financial officer Walter Persons, director of general services Melvin Jamerson, KeShaun Pearson, Kelsey Huse, and Kimberly Dobbins.
Pearson and Huse were elected chairman and vice-chair respectively.
“I’m glad that this moment has materialized and it is incumbent upon us to do something extraordinary and novel,” Pearson said. “I want to be extremely conscious about how we move forward and include the community.”
In hopes of centering community input, a survey was conducted shortly after the passage of the ordinance to solicit citizen feedback. Cooper-Sutton said it was vital that the board not only listen to the community, but to implement their recommendations.
Respondents said home repairs, weatherization, and energy efficiency were top priorities for those in the 38109 zip code, Sekander said. Residents also made note of public safety and crime prevention and blight remediation.
Respondents also mentioned installing video camera surveillance so police can monitor speeding and “deter illegal activity.”
“People want to see direct investment into their homes,” Sekander said. “They didn’t want to see things that were going to be one-time fixes. They wanted to see things that were going to be long-term investments that are going to continue to have impacts on future generations.”
She said these were the “top results” of what people wanted to see as a result of the funds. Sekander noted that about 89 percent of respondents were from the 38109 zip code, and they visited churches, small businesses, and schools in the community to make sure residents participated.
Cooper-Sutton said many of these things were part of the city’s responsibility to take care of without using the AI funds. She said these are things that should have already been addressed.
She said it was also important that South Memphis residents receive the education and equipment needed to understand air quality.
“We want to make 38109 sufficient, equipped, smart, [and] intelligent,” Cooper-Sutton said.
The survey was open for about two months, officials said and was completed around October. Walker asked if it was possible to reach out to 38116 residents as they are in the radius of the Tulane Road facility.
Pearson noted that the survey was done prior to the development of the Tulane community and believed that the survey should be restructured and have an expanded focus area. Pearson also serves as director for Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) who distributed their own survey to those in South Memphis and the city as a whole.
MCAP’s data showed wants as well as concerns, and said the city’s survey should be reflective of both.
“Sixty-six percent of the respondents said the xAI supercomputer project will have no long-term positive effects on the local economy,” Pearson said. “Eighty-six percent of respondents were concerned about the potential environmental impacts of xAI on our water resources including the Memphis Sands Aquifer. Seventy-eight percent are concerned about our air quality.”
Sekander said she would go back and make sure that they were included in their research and it was important that they hear from all community members who would be impacted by the funds.