Sam Altman denies one ChatGPT query uses 6hr shower water, gives almond example
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has dismissed claims that ChatGPT queries consume excessive water, labeling the comparison to a six-hour shower as a myth. He argued that the water footprint of AI is minimal compared to agricultural products like almonds.
Why it matters
As AI infrastructure expands, public scrutiny regarding environmental sustainability and resource consumption is becoming a critical challenge for tech companies.
Sam Altman has pushed back against escalating criticism over data centre resource consumption, particularly the water needed for artificial intelligence (AI) computing. He has argued that the public alarm over the use of fresh water to cool these massive structures has been exaggerated and ignores major upgrades in modern server cooling infrastructure. Speaking during an episode of the Sources Podcast to address growing public resistance to rapid AI expansion, the OpenAI CEO tackled the claims which allege that running a single ChatGPT prompt drains as much water as leaving a home shower running continuously for six hours.Dismissing the viral narrative as an online myth, Altman argued that the actual resource ratio is very low.
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