RINCON, Ga. – More than 500 people packed an OpenAI public meeting Thursday night as residents demanded answers about a proposed 1,400-acre data center campus, while hundreds more protested outside over concerns about water, noise and a lack of transparency.

Attendees began gathering at the Effingham County College and Career Academy at 5 p.m. for the open house, which began an hour later and served as an informal opportunity for the community to learn about OpenAI's Project Camellia.

The event followed OpenAI's announcement Wednesday that it plans to build a $20 billion, 1,400-acre data center campus at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub in Rincon. The proposed development would be one of the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure investments in Georgia history and would require up to 3.2 gigawatts of electricity once fully operational — enough to power millions of homes.

Effingham County residents were given just over 24 hours' notice of the meeting, but they still arrived in droves, wearing shirts and pins with messages such as "Say no to data centers." Outside, protesters held homemade signs reading "You can’t drink data” and "Protect our water" as sheriff's deputies directed traffic into the overflowing parking lot.

Security personnel and metal detectors greeted attendees before they entered a room where dozens of OpenAI engineers, recruiters and executives from across the country staffed information stations and answered questions. Residents waited in lines to ask about water use, electricity demand, noise and other aspects of the project. Tables featured engineering displays, site plan maps and company recruitment information. Representatives from Effingham County also staffed a table explaining the county's proposed $320 million surface water treatment plant, which officials say will increase water capacity to support future growth.

Questions about transparency

One of the loudest complaints wasn't necessarily about artificial intelligence or data centers. It was about how residents learned of the project only after key decisions appeared to have already been made.

Chris Barber, who lives within a few miles of the future OpenAI site, said he works in artificial intelligence and sees the technology's benefits. However, he opposes the chosen location and what he believes was a lack of transparency from both Effingham County and the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority.

"I didn't hear anything about this ... that they were in talks with anybody," he said. "It just feels very, 'We're going to slide this by as quietly as possible.'"

Barber attended with his family, including his wife, Trivinia Barber, who said she first learned about the project through an email from the Effingham County School District.

"It just felt really weird," she said. "The secrecy ... the backdoor deals — it's very weird."

Chris Barber said he's worried about how the facility's water usage could affect his well and those of nearby residents.

Although both said they support artificial intelligence, they wore matching shirts that read, "Say no to data centers." Trivinia Barber said a local T-shirt printer began making and advertising them in a community Facebook group.

"It was just $7," she said. "It was nothing ... just last minute. I mean, this whole thing feels last minute."

Environmental concerns

Many residents attended to voice their opposition not only to Project Camellia but also to data centers and artificial intelligence in general.

Katie Broome, 19, arrived early and stood outside holding a sign that read, "Don't let them lie. The future doesn't need to be AI." She said she has long tracked data center development across the country because of concerns about environmental impacts and the quality of life for people living near the facilities.

"That's not something I want for Effingham County," she said.

Broome said the project announcement added to the fatigue she already felt about industrial development in her community.

"I've lived here since I was 6," she said. "It used to be a small town, and they've just put up warehouses on top of warehouses ... more big truck traffic."

Isaiah Scott, founder of Rookery and Roots Conservancy, a Rincon-based environmental nonprofit, said one of his questions for OpenAI officials involved the noise expected to be generated by the facility. He said the scale of the project is overwhelming.

"It's going to be one of the largest data center campuses in the U.S.," he said. "We don't need data centers — but we especially don't need something that large here in the community."

Through his nonprofit, Scott has preserved 16 acres of forest and wetlands as a bird sanctuary. He called the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority's process for acquiring land for industrial use "extractive." He is advocating for more protected land in Effingham County.

"Effingham County is a biodiversity hotspot," Scott said. "If we don't protect the land here in Effingham, we're eventually going to lose what makes Effingham stand out."

Cheryl Sparks, a Springfield resident for 30 years, said she was concerned about the future data center's proximity to Blandford Elementary School. The school sits on McCall Road, less than a mile from the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, where Project Camellia will be built.

"I'm surprised that it wasn't addressed more," she said. "What about our children? What are they thinking?"

Support for the project

Some attendees said they left the OpenAI booths with a better understanding of the project.

Nicholas Dowling, a Rincon resident, said he works as a consultant and AI strategist.

"When I heard they were building a data center in my backyard, I was very excited," he said.

Dowling said he has already submitted his résumé to OpenAI and hopes to land a job with the company. He believes the project will create significant employment opportunities for the community.

"A project of this size will bring an entire ecosystem with it," he said. "It will bring more jobs ... in logistics ... HVAC, electrical work, food service ... anywhere from consulting to security to auditing."

Dowling said he believes OpenAI is being proactive in its community engagement. The company expects Project Camellia to be operational by 2028, giving it time, he said, to apply lessons learned from data centers across the country and build a state-of-the-art campus.

"I love that they're engaging the community this early and being as intentional as they are," he said. "There's going to be skeptics regardless."

Questions remain

However, some attendees said they left feeling their questions had not been answered.

William McDonald, a Guyton resident, said much of the information he received from OpenAI officials was too general.

"There are a lot of questions that people have, but they can't answer them," he said. "This gentleman's like, 'Well, we're going to contribute to the schools.' It's like, 'OK, well, how are you?'"

McDonald said he was told Project Camellia had been under discussion for at least six months.

"No one knew anything about it until the deal was already done," he said.