Sam Altman defends AI water usage against viral claims

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has dismissed viral claims regarding the high water consumption of artificial intelligence, labeling concerns about the water footprint of data centers as an unfounded meme.

Speaking on the Sources Podcast, Altman challenged the narrative that a single ChatGPT query consumes as much water as a six-hour shower. He estimated that approximately 38,000 ChatGPT queries consume an amount of water comparable to what is required to produce a single almond in California. Altman argued that modern cooling technologies have reduced the reliance on evaporation and that current facilities consume volumes similar to standard office building plumbing.

Despite these claims, critics note a lack of transparency from OpenAI regarding official electricity and water usage figures. This lack of data has led to legislative efforts in some regions to mandate that data centers publicly disclose their resource consumption.