# Meet Bezzy, the screaming data center plushie

> A satirical stuffed toy that emits real data center noise to highlight the hidden costs of AI infrastructure.
- Title: Meet Bezzy, the screaming data center plushie · WIRED
- Summary: A satirical stuffed toy that emits real data center noise to highlight the hidden costs of AI infrastructure. Data centers powering AI are spreading across…
- Keywords: data centers, ai infrastructure, noise pollution, basura studio, big data music, alan wilkis, adopt a data center, satire, energy consumption, environmental impact, tech criticism, Meet
- Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/adopt-this-data-center-plushie-and-hear-its-piercing-scream
- Author: Boone Ashworth
- Published: 2026-09-18T13:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: data centers, ai infrastructure, noise pollution, basura studio, big data music, alan wilkis, adopt a data center, satire, energy consumption, environmental impact, tech criticism
## Meet Bezzy the plushie
Squeeze this adorable stuffed server rack and hear a piercing scream. It's the actual sound recorded from a Virginia data center, designed to make you uncomfortable.

> Hug me for ear-piercing forever hum.
## A collaboration born from frustration
Basura studio and Big Data producer Alan Wilkis created Bezzy to spark conversation about data centers spreading across thousands of US acres to power AI tools.
## Data centers are everywhere now
Built by major AI companies, data centers consume massive amounts of energy and have sparked complaints about noise pollution from nearby residents.
## The sound is intentionally awful
The recording captures a neighbor's description: like a car alarm going off nonstop, high-pitched and impossible to ignore. Basura chose it because it was the clearest and most irritating.

> like a car alarm going off nonstop. It's high-pitched, and it's all you can focus on.
## Only 20 dolls exist at $99 each
Handmade in the US, Bezzy is intentionally scarce. But the real goal is getting people to click through and read about data center impacts, not selling toys.
## The real question is power and choice
Basura founder Rajeev Basu says the project isn't about whether data centers should exist, but who decides where they go and whether nearby communities actually benefit.

> It's not about whether AI data centers should exist. It's about who gets to decide where they go, what resources they consume, and whether the communities living beside them actually benefit.
## Key takeaway

Data centers powering AI are spreading across the US, creating noise pollution and energy concerns that most people never think about.