Sam Altman Addresses Concerns Over ChatGPT’s Energy Consumption: Here’s the Power Usage Per Prompt

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that a single ChatGPT prompt consumes about 0.34 watt-hours of electricity and 0.000085 gallons of water, equivalent to roughly one-fifteenth of a teaspoon. While these figures may seem low individually, with over 400 million weekly users interacting with multiple prompts daily, the cumulative impact could be significant. Altman noted that this energy usage parallels about one second of an oven’s run time or a couple of minutes for a high-efficiency lightbulb. Amidst growing concerns over AI’s environmental impact, particularly in light of other studies indicating high energy demands for AI outputs, these insights may both ease and raise alarm. The ongoing reliance on AI technologies posits a complex balance between their benefits and their ecological footprint, highlighting a critical conversation about sustainable AI practices as usage continues to surge.

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