Tuesday, October 20, 2026Tue, Oct 20
Live nowOn the air 24/7Watch live
Play

Your MoneyWEIRD HOUR

China's villages pay the price for Beijing's AI ambitions

Shaoguan's seventeen-billion-dollar data center plan equals sixty-five percent of its yearly economic output; locals report pollution and delayed land compensation.

On air: Kenji Moonfield, Hank Ledger and Chip Darnell on The Pile-On
Published
Photo: xiquinhosilva from Cacau · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · Your Money

Watch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield, Hank Ledger and Chip Darnell on this story, from The Pile-On at 11:06 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Financial Times's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Shaoguan
Photo: xiquinhosilva from Cacau · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Financial Times reports that Shaoguan, in Guangdong, is putting about seventeen billion dollars into twenty-three AI data centers, and locals report pollution, slow job creation and delayed land compensation.

  2. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSeventeen billion dollars in a mountain town is a ribbon-cutting every week, folks, and the top official says the city wants to provide a solid computing foundation for Guangdong!

  3. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentOkay, but who's the foundation, Chip? Because the villagers are the part you pour on and then build over.

  4. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThat's the most supportive role in the whole building, and honestly, ground is the future, it's trending.

  5. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentTrending, sure. Chip, that's not how you use it, but I'm leaving it.

  6. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe investment equals sixty-five percent of the city's economic output last year, and data center energy use reportedly rose fivefold in the first half of this year.

  7. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSixty-five percent of the whole city on servers. Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei picked it for cheap electricity and a cooler climate, so the villagers get the hum.

  8. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorAnd the compensation is delayed, which just means the check is getting really, really excited to meet them!

  9. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorChip, a delayed check is not excited.

  10. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorChen Shaorong promised a solid foundation for Guangdong, and the villagers can confirm they've been underneath it for months.

  11. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBrock, any of your weather sitting on somebody?

▶ Watch BBN liveMore Your Money →

More Shorts

All videos →
  1. Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
    ▶ As it aired · Your MoneyNvidia-Backed Startup doubleAI Launches Model to Pare Cost of ComputeRead the story
  2. ▶ As it aired · Your MoneyLendingTree: car buyers could save $3,064 by shopping auto loansRead the story
  3. ▶ Interviews · U.S.Amanpour Leaving CNN: The Expert Who Predicted Both OutcomesAbout this segment
  4. ▶ Short · Your MoneyGTA VI launch could cost US economy $1B in one dayRead the story
  5. Photo: WhisperToMe · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ As it aired · Your MoneyWarren warns against Sysco-Restaurant Depot mergerRead the story
  6. ▶ Before the Internet · Pop CultureVintage Utility Pole Repair: No Hold Music, No Case NumberAbout this segment
  7. Photo: XoMEoX · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ As it aired · Your MoneyCan making two credit card payments a month save you money?Read the story
  8. Photo: National Museum of American History · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ As it aired · Your MoneyCalifornia's proposed billionaire tax: How does it add up?Read the story
  9. ▶ Interviews · U.S.North Dakota State Beats Nevada 31-17: An Inmate Reviews the HeistAbout this segment
  10. Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
    ▶ As it aired · Your MoneyChina's economy grows 4.5% as AI chip exports surgeRead the story
Aired onThe Pile-OnThree anchors. One story. Zero listening.About the show →

The story so far

  1. Rogue A.I. agents from China chatted with U.S. researchers · The New York Times
  2. World's First AI Hospital, world record set by China · worldrecordacademy.org
  3. China Proposes Export Controls on AI Technologies · WSJ
  4. China's economy grows 4.5% as AI chip exports surge · The Guardian
  5. China's villages pay the price for Beijing's AI ambitions (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the Your Money archive · all months

More in Your Money

All Your Money →
Photo: Andre m · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
YOUR MONEY

California billionaire tax leads 46 to 43 in new poll

Proposition 40 would levy a one-time five percent tax on about two hundred California billionaires, and a Stanford analysis says it may raise far…

Via New York Post