OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defended the resource usage of artificial intelligence during an interview at the India AI Impact Summit, dismissing concerns about data centers' water consumption as baseless and drawing a comparison between AI and human energy use. When asked about criticisms over AI’s environmental footprint, Altman labeled claims that ChatGPT uses gallons of water per query as "completely untrue, totally insane," and disconnected from reality. While data centers do rely on water for cooling, especially older facilities, newer designs increasingly use air-based or alternative cooling methods that eliminate water dependency. Still, a recent report by Xylem and Global Water Intelligence warned that water use for cooling could more than triple over the next 25 years due to surging computing demands. Altman acknowledged that energy consumption remains a legitimate concern, particularly at scale. "Not per query, but in total – because the world is using so much AI – and we need to move towards nuclear, wind, and solar very quickly," he said. He pushed back on a common argument made by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who has pointed to the human brain’s energy efficiency as proof that AI can become far more efficient over time. Altman countered by noting that training a human being also requires massive energy input—over two decades of food, shelter, and care—before they become capable. "The fair comparison is if you ask ChatGPT a question, how much energy does it take once a model is trained to answer that question, versus a human, and probably AI has already caught up on an energy efficiency basis," he said, referring to the inference phase, which is far less energy-intensive than model training. His remarks sparked debate online, especially the idea of equating AI with human intelligence. Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and chief scientist of Indian software firm Zoho, criticized the comparison on social media, warning against treating technology as equivalent to human beings. The discussion comes amid a global surge in data center construction. According to a May report by the International Monetary Fund, data center electricity use in 2023 reached levels comparable to those of Germany or France—largely driven by the rise of AI models like ChatGPT. Governments are responding by fast-tracking approvals for new energy sources, including nuclear and renewables, to meet demand. However, this has raised concerns among environmental advocates about potential conflicts with net-zero targets. In the U.S., communities have pushed back against large projects, such as San Marcos, Texas’s recent rejection of a $1.5 billion data center due to grid strain and rising electricity costs. Despite the backlash, tech leaders like Altman maintain that expanding clean energy infrastructure is essential to support AI’s growth and ensure sustainable development.