Sam Altman pushed back against viral claims about artificial intelligence’s environmental footprint during an event hosted by The Indian Express this week.

Speaking at a major AI summit in India, Altman addressed circulating claims that using ChatGPT consumes massive amounts of water — including posts suggesting each query uses up to 17 gallons. He called those assertions “completely untrue” and “totally insane.”

Altman acknowledged that water use was previously a concern when data centers relied heavily on evaporative cooling systems. However, he said those practices are no longer standard in many facilities, making such viral estimates outdated or inaccurate.

“There’s no connection to reality,” Altman said of the water usage claims.