Sam Altman claims that 38,000 ChatGPT queries consume as much water as it takes to produce a single almond in California

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, addressed criticisms regarding the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence, particularly concerning water consumption by data centers supporting AI systems. His comments were made during the inaugural episode of the Sources podcast, hosted by Alex Heath.

Altman contended that approximately 38,000 ChatGPT queries consume an amount of water equivalent to that required to produce a single almond in California. He stated, "I don’t have the exact calculation in front of me, but I think the real number is something like... for every 38,000 ChatGPT queries, that is the same amount of water that is used in the production of a single almond in California." His remarks were a defense against comparisons highlighting ChatGPT as a high water-consuming technology.