Sam Altman Calls 17-Gallon Water Claim 'Completely Untrue,' Defends AI Energy Use While Pushing for Nuclear and Renewable Expansion
Summary
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fires back at viral claims that ChatGPT consumes 17 gallons of water per query, calling them 'completely untrue,' while acknowledging AI's real energy demands and urging a rapid global expansion of nuclear, wind, and solar power.
Key Points
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman dismisses claims that ChatGPT uses 17 gallons of water per query as 'completely untrue' and 'totally insane,' saying evaporative cooling in data centers is no longer used.
- Altman acknowledges that total AI energy consumption is a legitimate concern and calls for a rapid global shift toward nuclear, wind, and solar energy to meet growing demand.
- Altman argues that comparing AI training energy costs to a single human inference query is unfair, claiming that when accounting for the energy required to raise and educate a human, AI is already competitive on an energy efficiency basis.