OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed concerns about AI’s environmental impact while speaking at an event hosted by The Indian Express.
Altman said concerns about AI’s water usage are “totally fake,” though he acknowledged it was a real issue when data centers used evaporative cooling.
He added that it’s “fair” to be concerned about the energy consumption of AI, and the world needs to “move towards nuclear or wind and solar very quickly.”
The Energy Consumption Debate
Altman also complained that many discussions about ChatGPT’s energy usage are “unfair,” especially when they focus on training an AI model relative to a human inference query.
He argued that training a human takes “20 years of life and all of the food you eat during that time” and the evolution of 100 billion people who have ever lived.
Altman believes the fair comparison is between the energy it takes for ChatGPT to answer a question once its model is trained versus a human, and “probably, AI has already caught up on an energy efficiency basis, measured that way.”
Market Context
There’s no legal requirement for tech companies to disclose their energy and water usage, so scientists have been trying to study it independently.
Data centers have also been connected to rising electricity prices, with some studies suggesting a significant impact on the environment.
As the use of AI continues to grow, the need for sustainable energy sources will become increasingly important.
What’s Next
As the conversation around AI’s environmental impact continues, companies like OpenAI will need to prioritize sustainability and transparency in their operations.
With the growing demand for AI, it’s essential to address the energy consumption and environmental impact of these technologies to ensure a sustainable future.
