While dismissing water-related claims, Altman conceded that energy consumption is a legitimate concern — though not necessarily at the per-query level.

There is currently no legal requirement for tech companies to publicly disclose detailed energy or water usage data, leaving researchers to estimate impacts independently. Data centers have also been linked to rising electricity demand in certain regions.

When asked whether a single ChatGPT query consumes the equivalent of 1.5 iPhone battery charges — a comparison previously cited in public discussions — Altman responded, “There’s no way it’s anything close to that much.”

Instead, he emphasized that total global AI energy consumption is the more relevant metric, arguing that society should accelerate the transition toward nuclear, wind, and solar power to support growing computational demands.