OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Friday defended the resource demands of artificial intelligence, calling concerns about data centers’ water use “fake” and comparing the energy used by AI systems to that of humans.
Altman was speaking on the sidelines of the India AI Impact summit in an interview with The Indian Express when he was asked to address common criticisms of AI, such as its energy and water consumption.
The CEO responded that claims circulating online that ChatGPT uses gallons of water per query were “completely untrue, totally insane,” and have “no connection to reality.”
Data centers traditionally use large amounts of water to cool electrical components and prevent overheating. While data center cooling technologies have promised reduced consumption, some newer data centers no longer rely on water at all.
Still, even with improving efficiency, a report last month from water technology company Xylem and Global Water Intelligence projected that the water drawn for cooling would more than triple over the next 25 years as computing demand rises, putting pressure on water systems.
