Experts working to benchmark resource use of AI models say new version’s enhanced capabilities come at a steep cost
I
n mid-2023, if a user asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT for a recipe for artichoke pasta or instructions on how to make a ritual offering to the ancient Canaanite deity Moloch, its response might have taken – very roughly – 2 watt-hours, or about as much electricity as an incandescent bulb consumes in 2 minutes.
OpenAI released a model on Thursday that will underpin the popular chatbot – GPT-5. Ask that version of the AI for an artichoke recipe, and the same amount of pasta-related text could take several times – even 20 times – that amount of energy, experts say.
As it rolled out GPT-5, the company highlighted the model’s breakthrough capabilities: its ability to create websites, answer PhD-level science questions, and reason through difficult problems.
