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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The largest artificial intelligence data center ever built by Facebook’s parent company Meta is coming to northeast Louisiana, the company said Wednesday, bringing hopes that the $10 billion facility will transform an economically neglected corner of the state. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry called it “game-changing” for his state's expanding tech sector, yet some environmental groups have raised concerns over the center's reliance on fossil fuels — and whether the plans for new natural gas power to support it could lead to higher energy bills in the future for Louisiana residents. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, is expanding its existing supercomputer project in Memphis, Tennessee, the city's chamber of commerce said Wednesday. The chamber also said that Nvidia, Dell, and Supermicro Computer will be “establishing operations in Memphis,” without offering further details. Louisiana is among a growing number of states offering tax credits and other incentives to lure big tech firms seeking sites for energy-intensive data centers. The U.S. Commerce Department found that there aren’t enough data centers in the U.S. to meet the rising AI-fueled demand, which is projected to grow by 9% each year through 2030, citing industry reports. Meta anticipates its Louisiana data center will create 500 operational jobs and 5,000 temporary construction jobs, said Kevin Janda, director of data center strategy. At 4 million square feet (370,000 square meters), it will be the company's largest AI data center to date, he added. “We want to make sure we are having a positive impact on the local level,” Janda said. Congressional leaders and local representatives from across the political spectrum heralded the Meta facility as a boon for Richland parish, a rural part of Louisiana with a population of 20,000 historically reliant on agriculture. About one in four residents are considered to live in poverty and the parish has an employment rate below 50%, according to the U.S. census data. Meta plans to invest $200 million into road and water infrastructure improvements for the parish to offset its water usage. The facility is expected to be completed in 2030. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, is fast-tracking plans to build three natural gas power plants in Louisiana capable of generating 2,262 megawatts for Meta's data center over a 15-year period — nearly one-tenth of Entergy's existing energy capacity across four states. The Louisiana Public Service Commission is weighing Entergy's proposal as some environmental groups have opposed locking the state into more fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure. Meta said it plans to help bring 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy onto the grid in the future. Louisiana residents may ultimately end up with rate increases to pay off the cost of operating these natural gas power plants when Meta's contract with Entergy expires, said Jessica Hendricks, state policy director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a Louisiana-based nonprofit advocating for energy consumers. “There’s no reason why residential customers in Louisiana need to pay for a power plant for energy that they’re not going to use," Hendricks said. "And we want to make sure that there’s safeguards in place.” Public service commissioner Foster Campbell, representing northeast Louisiana, said he does not believe the data center will increase rates for Louisiana residents and views it as vital for his region. “It’s going in one of the most needed places in Louisiana and maybe one of the most needed places in the United States of America,” Foster said. “I’m for it 100%.” Environmental groups have also warned of the pollution generated by Musk's AI data center in Memphis. The Southern Environmental Law Center, among others, says the supercomputer could strain the power grid, prompting attention from the Environmental Protection Agency. Eighteen gas turbines currently running at xAI’s south Memphis facility are significant sources of ground-level ozone, better known as smog, the group said. Patrick Anderson, an attorney at the law center, said xAI has operated with “a stunning lack of transparency” in developing its South Memphis facility, which is located near predominantly Black neighborhoods that have long dealt with pollution and health risks from factories and other industrial sites. “Memphians deserve to know how xAI will affect them,” he said, “and should have a seat at the table when these decisions are being made.” Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96LNG Energy Group Reiterates Value Proposition and Announces Financing and Process to Review Strategic Initiatives

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The holidays bring big expectations for parents. Whether aiming to simply delight your child or really wow them, a flashy tech product can seem like the fastest way to make their holiday dreams come true. But experts say it's worth reflecting on how that technology might upend your home life. A new gaming console can lead to arguments over time limits. Your preschooler may accidentally use their new tablet to play inappropriate games. That virtual reality headset your teenager begged for may trump in-person hangouts with friends. Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental pediatrician who authored the American Academy of Pediatrics screen time guidelines for children ages zero to five, says there are thoughtful strategies for avoiding or managing these conflicts. (The AAP has its own set of related tips for parents.) She recommends critically evaluating the tech you plan to gift, considering any alternatives as necessary, and then preparing to talk to your child about how they'll use it. "It's good to have fun with your kids and enjoy their happiness," Radesky says. "But there's also really big differences in the design of different technologies that make them more of a headache for parents..." And no one wants a headache after weeks of planning and prepping for holiday gift-giving. Whether you've already purchased a tech device for your child, or plan to do so, here are five questions to ask yourself before you gift it: Is the technology well-known? Radesky says that buying your child a gaming console with years of user experience behind it is a different situation than purchasing a new AI-robot companion for your child (yes, such a thing exists). With a Nintendo Switch or Sony PlayStation, you can scour expert reviews for pros and cons, talk to parents who own the console, and read related media coverage about their safety practices and parental controls. The same won't be true of new and emerging products; you'll have less information to make an informed decision, compared to other established tech products. That said, trust your gut if you research a product that's been on the market for years and develop concerns that it's not right for you or your family. Is it really educational? Radesky says that children's tech toys and devices often claim, without evidence, that they're educational. The appealing marketing strategy can deceive parents into purchasing disappointing products. There are devices and apps with simplistic designs and distracting ads, for example. And some products say they'll help your child with a fundamental skill, like reading, but actually have a narrow scope, such as practicing the alphabet. Radesky recommends that parents think about whether a so-called educational product is indeed better than a child's own imaginative play, which can help them develop critical skills. "Open-ended and pretend play is a really important process for kids to develop mental flexibility, their attention span, and their ability to do storytelling in their heads," Radesky says. She also notes that educational claims aren't vetted by a regulatory body in the U.S., nor are the companies that make them required to provide proof substantiating those claims. Are there any safety or privacy concerns? Each tech device has its own safety and privacy considerations, which creates a lot of work for parents. A smartphone, for example, can give marketers, predators, and bullies a direct line to your child. A new video game, popular amongst your child's friends, might feature unexpectedly mature violent or sexual content. To get a better handle on these issues, Radesky suggests that parents research what parental controls are available for devices and subscriptions. Parents can also consult Common Sense Media's wide-ranging reviews of games and apps. (Radesky has received research funding from Common Sense Media in the past.) Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included guide offers reviews based on whether a product meets the company's minimum security standards. The guide includes a number of children's toys and games, as well as wearables and entertainment products, like Amazon and Apple tablets. Once you better understand the potential safety and privacy tradeoffs, you can either decide against buying the product or choose to address them through parental controls or other protective settings. Can you swap the tech out for something else? Sometimes parents buy a tech device in an effort to solve one problem, like offering entertainment on long car rides, but the purchase inadvertently creates more conflict. Radesky says parents should first consider how the tech will be used, and whether there's a more effective alternative. A parent interested in gifting a tablet or phone so their child can listen to music might instead look into smart or screen-free speakers, for example. While less well-known than an Amazon Echo , the Yoto , Toniebox , and Mighty offer different types of screen-free access to music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Privacy issues with these alternatives may still be a deal-breaker for some parents, but Radesky says they can also facilitate skill-building and social interactions in ways that a tablet can't. Without a screen to focus on, children have to train their attention on whatever is playing on the device. Additionally, smart or screen-free speakers mean family dance parties or conversations about a podcast are much more likely to happen than if a child is staring at a phone or tablet. What conversation do you need to have with your child? Radesky advises against letting your child use their gift without first talking to them about boundaries. You needn't have that conversation as they tear off the wrapping paper, but it's wise to chat with them before they start playing with the gift. With their input, the discussion should focus on guardrails, such as parental controls and screen time limits. If there's an onboarding or setup process, Radesky recommends that parents do it alongside their child. That gives parents an opportunity to talk about any safety concerns while normalizing communication about technology and devices. Depending on the product, you may also need to download a companion app or create your own account in order to connect to and monitor your child's account. Importantly, parents should ensure that their child's age is accurately entered during setup, as it can affect default safety settings, such as the ability to message with other users or what kind of personal data is collected. If you don't want to be a buzzkill, Radesky says you can let your child explore and play with their gift over the holidays with few or no time limits, then rein that use in before school starts. Either way, parents should have low expectations of their child's ability to stop playing over the holiday break, and Radesky recommends not becoming anxious about that reality. Approach it with curiosity when your child spends several hours playing a new video game by simply asking, "How did that feel?" And if reflecting on your plans to gift tech these holidays now has you doubting the impulse purchase of a deeply discounted product, that's OK. Radesky says you don't have to commit to the gift. "You really want to go in with a sense of, 'I want to use this intentionally so that it doesn't feel like we're battling all the time," she says.Deputy President Paul Mashatile has assured ANC supporters the party is pushing back against the DA’s demands to have certain clauses of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act scrapped. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the act into law in September but delayed the implementation of two clauses, 4 and 5, by three months to allow for further parliamentary discussions. This as ANC’s GNU partner, the DA, has rejected the two clauses in the act. The debated clauses deal with policies on admission to public schools proposing changes to the authority of school governing bodies in determining admission policy. The other clause deals with language in schools. Mashatile, speaking at the Steve Tshwete Memorial Lecture on Saturday in the Eastern Cape, said the ANC is fighting for the clauses not to be excluded. “We will continue to invest in the promotion of our indigenous languages. It is in this regard that we are convinced that we in government were correct to get the Bela Bill passed by parliament. There are people who want to remove it. I was reading on social media as I was coming here that there is an agreement somewhere that some of the clauses in the act should be scrapped. We are saying no, we cannot exclude the clauses,” Mashatile said. Solidarity Movement, which protested with the DA against the act, on Thursday said there was a settlement for the disputed provisions not to be implemented. Mashatile, however, disputed this saying the government has not reached an agreement regarding proposed exclusion of Bela act provisions. “The president appointed me to chair the clearing house on behalf of all parties so that we can fix this thing. Other people are forward saying no this ‘Language and admissions is not important, we will see it some other time.’ No, we want it now. It must be sorted now,” he said. Solidarity Movement in a statement had said: “In terms of the settlement, the controversial sections in the Bela Act will no longer be implemented on 13 December. Norms and standards and national policies and regulations must first be developed which will, among other things, determine that schools which are running at their full capacity may not receive instructions to change their language and admission policy. This will all form part of a process in which the minister of basic education Siviwe Gwarube will make comprehensive recommendations to Ramaphosa for his due consideration.”

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