Sam Altman says concerns of ChatGPT's energy use are overblown: 'It also takes a lot of energy to train a human'
Business Insider
February 23, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has challenged concerns about ChatGPT's energy and water consumption, calling some claims "overblown" and "fake." He argues that while AI models require significant energy during training, comparing this to the decades-long process of human education makes the issue more nuanced. Altman highlights that training a human involves 20 years of life, including food and learning, whereas ChatGPT's per-query energy use is minimal—about 0.34 watt-hours, similar to a lightbulb's usage over a few minutes.
Altman also dismisses claims that OpenAI uses excessive water for its operations, stating that evaporative cooling in data centers, which contributed to water usage, is no longer practiced. He emphasizes the importance of sustainable energy sources like solar and wind, driven by the rapid growth of AI's energy needs. Unlike other tech leaders advocating for space-based data centers, Altman remains skeptical about their feasibility within a decade.
Altman's comments underscore OpenAI's commitment to environmental responsibility, particularly through his investments in
Verticals
businessfinance
Originally published on Business Insider on 2/23/2026