In a blog post published Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the energy and water consumption of artificial intelligence, claiming that an average ChatGPT query uses approximately 0.000085 gallons of water, which he described as “roughly one fifteenth of a teaspoon.”
Altman also provided a figure for energy usage, stating that an average ChatGPT query consumes about 0.34 watt-hours. He offered a comparison, noting this is approximately what an oven would use in just over one second or a high-efficiency lightbulb would use in a couple of minutes.
The CEO further speculated on the future cost of AI, arguing that “the cost of intelligence should eventually converge to near the cost of electricity.”
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the methodology behind Altman’s specific figures.
The energy demands of AI technology have drawn increased scrutiny. This year, researchers projected that AI could potentially surpass the power consumption of Bitcoin mining by the end of the year.
Prior research has presented different figures. An article last year in The Washington Post, which collaborated with researchers, found that generating a 100-word email using an AI chatbot powered by GPT-4 required “a little more than 1 bottle” of water. The publication also highlighted that water usage can vary depending on the location of the data center.
