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Altman: AI to Become Metered Utility Like Electricity

Sam Altman described AI as a metered utility due to finite compute and energy resources, highlighting infrastructure and financing challenges for data centers.

  • Sam Altman, OpenAI chief executive officer, outlined metered AI at BlackRock's U.S. Infrastructure Summit on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, saying intelligence will be bought 'on a meter' like electricity.
  • Facing rising costs and finite compute, Altman said OpenAI canceled its Stargate project in Texas and industry insiders called for a federal backstop to secure data-center financing.
  • Altman described a token-based system where users pay for one million tokens monthly as a budget, then receive a bill for actual consumption based on model size and reasoning demands.
  • The remarks immediately sparked debate as the public and online commentators questioned selling intelligence on a meter amid scrutiny of data centers and rising energy costs.
  • Looking ahead, Altman argued that AI is crossing into a major economic utility, with cognitive capacity possibly eclipsing human capacity by late 2028, suggesting GDP and economic metrics need rethinking in a "forever deflationary world.
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Business Insider broke the news in United States on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
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