Sam Altman would like remind you that humans use a lot of energy, too

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed widespread concerns about AI’s environmental impact, particularly focusing on energy and water usage. He dismissed claims about AI’s water consumption—such as the notion that a single ChatGPT query uses 17 gallons of water—as “totally fake” and based on outdated data from when data centers used evaporative cooling. Altman acknowledged that while total energy consumption by AI systems is a valid concern due to the growing scale of AI use, per-query energy use is often misrepresented. He emphasized the need for a global shift toward sustainable energy sources like nuclear, wind, and solar to support AI’s energy demands. Altman also criticized comparisons that highlight the energy required to train AI models relative to the cost of a single AI query, calling such discussions “unfair.” He argued that training humans also consumes significant energy and time—about 20 years of life and resources—before they become knowledgeable. From his perspective, a more appropriate comparison is the energy used by AI to answer