Sam Altman Denies AI Water Consumption Claims Are Accurate

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushed back against claims that artificial intelligence consumes excessive amounts of water, arguing that such concerns are overhyped. Speaking on the Sources podcast, Altman claimed that approximately 38,000 ChatGPT queries use the same amount of water as a single California almond, though he noted he was recalling the figure from memory.

Altman criticized social media comparisons that equate a single query to hours of showering, stating these claims do not stand up to scrutiny. However, calculations based on previous figures suggest a discrepancy; if one query uses 0.32 milliliters and one almond requires 3.56 liters, the ratio is closer to 11,000 queries per almond.

Altman maintained that modern data centers do not rely on outdated water-intensive cooling and can have routine consumption comparable to office buildings. While Microsoft and Amazon report improvements in water efficiency, environmental concerns persist regarding evaporative cooling systems in water-stressed regions.