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Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Water Use Claims Are 'Completely Untrue' — but Admits AI Energy Use Is a Concern
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman denied ChatGPT water use claims, highlighted AI's real energy demand, and urged quick adoption of nuclear and renewable energy, citing rising computing needs.
- On Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc., defended AI's resource use at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, calling concerns about data centers' water use `fake`.
- Amid verification gaps, local opposition led to San Marcos, Texas, voting down a $1.5 billion data center project after months of resistance.
- Technically, AI inference is much less power-intensive than AI training, and `It takes like 20 years of life`, Altman said, comparing training a human to model training.
- Pressing for action, Altman urged the energy sector to move towards nuclear or wind and solar very quickly as governments speed approvals amid environmentalists' net-zero concerns.
- A May report by the International Monetary Fund found that data-center electricity use in 2023 already matched countries like Germany or France, soon after the launch of ChatGPT, highlighting long-term resource pressures.
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Sam Altman says concerns of ChatGPT's energy use are overblown: 'It also takes a lot of energy to train a human'
OpenAI CEO Sam AltmanMandel Ngan/AFP/Getty ImagesOpenAI CEO Sam Altman said claims that ChatGPT consumes huge amounts of water are outdated and "fake."Altman said it's fair to say the AI industry consumes a lot of energy overall, but that's different than chatbot queries.Altman compared energy use from training to humans, saying "it takes a lot of energy to train a human" over "20 years of life."Sam Altman is pushing back on the idea that ChatGP…
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Left
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources lean Left
40% Left
L 40%
C 30%
R 30%
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