MARYVILLE — The Blount County Planning Commission addressed public concerns about rumored artificial intelligence data centers at its meeting Thursday night, with officials stating no formal proposals have been submitted.

Blount County Commissioner Nick Bright said no one has approached the commission about developing a data center. "This all started as an internet rumor," Bright said. He added, "It's fair to say that no one wants a data center. A few weeks ago, a rumor of an AI data center getting voted on started on social media and asked people to attend meetings. Immediately, I knew that wasn't true."

Rumors about a data center in Alcoa recently circulated online. The City of Alcoa has not been approached about any data centers in its area, city officials said. No requests have been made by landowners or interested parties to use land in Alcoa for a data center, according to city officials.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) confirmed that no preliminary power requests or inquiries into electric load capacity for data centers have been made. Blount County leaders stated they have seen no formal plans for a data center in the area.

Some residents expressed strong objections to the possibility of such facilities. One critic stated, "AI data centers are not only leeches on the environment but it's also a leech on the community from the water pollution, the light pollution, the noise pollution. It seems like it does absolutely nothing good for the community around it." Another said, "We've heard from multiple communities across the nation that AI data centers come in and they raise the rates for regular homeowners, making it hard for them to keep up with their electricity bills."