In a recent blog post, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, shared interesting data about the resources required for ChatGPT queries. He mentioned that each ChatGPT query consumes an average of approximately 0.000085 gallons of water, which is roughly equivalent to "about 1/15 of a teaspoon." This figure has attracted significant public attention, particularly in discussions regarding the energy consumption and resource usage of artificial intelligence.
In this article titled The Gentle Singularity, Altman also noted that the electricity consumption of ChatGPT is relatively low, with each query consuming approximately 0.34 watt-hours. This amount can be compared to the energy consumed by an oven running for over a second or a energy-saving light bulb lighting up for a few minutes. Clearly, as artificial intelligence technology continues to develop, more voices are being raised regarding its energy consumption issues.
Altman further emphasized that the cost of future intelligence should approach the cost of electricity, demonstrating his confidence in the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology. He believes that ChatGPT has become stronger than any human in some important ways. Every day, hundreds of millions of people rely on this technology and apply it to increasingly critical tasks in their daily lives and work. He pointed out that a small feature update could have a significant positive impact, while a minor deviation might cause larger negative effects among hundreds of millions of users.
In addition, Altman boldly predicted future technological developments. He stated that systems capable of discovering novel insights might emerge by 2026, and robots able to perform tasks in the real world may be introduced by 2027. He believes that by 2030, the amount of work one person can accomplish will significantly increase compared to 2020.
Despite the widespread concern over the energy consumption of generative AI, Altman's discussion brought hope for the future. He mentioned that recent research shows that AI's electricity consumption might surpass the energy used in Bitcoin mining, which further sparked societal reflections on the sustainable development of artificial intelligence.
Key Takeaways:
🌊 Each ChatGPT query consumes about 0.000085 gallons of water on average, equivalent to 1/15 of a teaspoon.
⚡ The electricity consumption of ChatGPT is approximately 0.34 watt-hours, comparable to the energy consumed by an oven running for over a second.
🔮 Altman predicts that by 2030, human productivity will greatly increase, and more innovations will come from artificial intelligence technology.