AI Water Use: 'Totally Fake' Claims Spark Outrage

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has attempted to alleviate concerns regarding the substantial energy requirements of artificial intelligence models. During a recent visit to India for an AI summit, Altman drew a parallel between the energy needed to train AI and that required for human development, stating it takes 'about 20 years of life' for a human to become intelligent.

Despite this defense, Altman acknowledged the public's assessment of AI's energy consumption is 'fair' and stressed the urgent need to transition towards nuclear, wind, and solar power sources. These statements arrive amidst escalating discussions about the environmental footprint of datacenters that power AI technologies and their broader societal implications.

According to the International Energy Agency, datacenters constituted approximately 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024. This figure is anticipated to increase by about 15% annually between 2024 and 2030, a rate substantially faster than other sectors.

Concerns about the sustainability of meeting datacenter energy demands are significant. Experts warn that the rapid construction pace of new datacenters necessitates a heavy reliance on fossil fuel power plants. In response, over 230 environmental organizations in the US have advocated for a halt in building new datacenters, citing threats to community and environmental security.

Altman also addressed the water usage of datacenters, asserting that concerns about significant water consumption, such as '17 gallons of water for each query,' are 'completely untrue.' He suggested that modern datacenters have moved away from water-intensive cooling methods. However, some experts remain skeptical, questioning whether the purported benefits of AI justify its resource demands, especially when its primary applications, like writing assistance, do not directly address major global challenges.

Altman's remarks have drawn criticism online, with some labeling them as 'dystopian' and comparing his views to a disregard for human value. Critics have expressed alarm at the way AI's resource needs are being framed and the potential for unchecked technological growth to harm the environment.