The South's AI infrastructure boom is reshaping who pays for electricity, who gets water, and which communities bear the costs.
New stories every week. We're tracing AI's impact across Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and the South—from data centers to dry taps, rising bills, and displaced workers.
The Great Pivot
Georgia's film industry collapse and Southern tax competition. When production companies left, what filled the void? How do states compete for the next big industry, and who bears the cost?
An investigation into Georgia's transition from film to tech, examining the economic shifts and community impacts across the South.
What This Is
This is a zine examining how the American South's pivot to AI infrastructure - massive data centers consuming water and electricity - is creating crises invisible to most residents. We trace the connections: How did tax incentives shift from Georgia's film industry to data centers? Why are Newton County, Georgia residents losing water access while North Carolina gives billions to Apple and Google? Who's paying for the electricity expansions Georgia Power, Duke Energy, and other Southern utilities are demanding?
Each issue combines researched storytelling, data analysis, community voices, and interactive experiences to make visible the costs and consequences of decisions made without public input. We publish new stories every week, following the money, the water, and the power across the South.
Who This Is For
- Anyone who wants to understand how AI infrastructure decisions affect real communities—not just tech company press releases
- Southern residents in AI and data center-affected communities
- Workers displaced by economic transitions (Georgia film industry, regional manufacturing shifts, corp AI replacement)
- Community organizers foster zoning decisions and infrastructure projects that improve the South and work for its citizens and families.