GoKawiilThere’s a new publicity stunt tapping into widespread opposition to AI data centers, and it’s using bathroom humor to make a statement.
Former NFL player Jason Kelce, who is also the co-owner of Garage Beer and the co-host of the New Heights podcast with his brother Travis (Taylor Swift’s husband), is the unlikely face of a marketing campaign, launched Tuesday, that puts artificial intelligence on notice. And, well, it’s all about the power of pee.
You read that right, and I apologize in advance for the amount of urine jokes in this article. Tread lightly, I guess.
The now-viral ad opens with Kelce using the bathroom. It cuts to him holding a jar of yellow liquid, issuing a call to action to a happy mob of folks frolicking through grassy terrain, singing, “Let’s pee on computers together and save humanity.” It immediately conjures up that iconic 1970s Coke commercial where hippies harmonize a message of peace, love and unity on a sunny hillside. Except instead of teaching the world to sing, Kelce is asking you to bottle up your pee in a collectible mug and send it to the AI data center of your choice.
If you’re not yet up to speed on the matter, AI data centers are large facilities that store the massive amount of hardware needed to train and run AI models. These warehouses are stocked with high-performance graphics processing units, which provide the power for you to use AI for researching, streamlining video production and, well, creating all the slop your heart desires.
Despite the unserious angle of the marketing stunt taking the piss out of AI (I’m sorry), Kelce’s ad carries a deeper message about the threat data centers pose to our neighborhoods, our resources and our future.
AI data centers guzzle resources
An aerial view of the construction of Meta’s AI data center in El Paso, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
There are nearly 4,000 AI data centers in the country, currently. A database created by environmental activist Erin Brockovich shows where they’re located, with the majority being built in rural areas.
To keep data centers running, an excessive amount of fresh water is required to cool servers so they don’t melt down or explode. Evaporative cooling towers use water to absorb heat generated by servers.
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