OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed considerations about AI’s environmental impression this week whereas speaking at an event hosted by The Indian Express.
For one factor, Altman — who was in India for a major AI summit — stated considerations about AI’s water utilization are “completely faux,” although he acknowledged it was an actual challenge when “we used to do evaporative cooling in information facilities.”
“Now that we don’t do this, you see this stuff on the web the place, ‘Don’t use ChatGPT, it’s 17 gallons of water for every question’ or no matter,” Altman stated. “That is utterly unfaithful, completely insane, no connection to actuality.”
He added that it’s “truthful” to be involved about “the vitality consumption — not per question, however in complete, as a result of the world is now utilizing a lot AI.” In his view, this implies the world must “transfer in the direction of nuclear or wind and photo voltaic in a short time.”
There’s no authorized requirement for tech firms to reveal how a lot vitality and water they use, so scientists have been trying to study it independently. Knowledge facilities have additionally been related to rising electricity prices.
Citing a earlier dialog with Invoice Gates, the interviewer requested whether or not it’s correct to say a single ChatGPT question presently makes use of the equal of 1.5 iPhone battery prices, to which Altman replied, “There’s no method it’s something near that a lot.”
Altman additionally complained that many discussions about ChatGPT’s vitality utilization are “unfair,” particularly after they concentrate on “how a lot vitality it takes to coach an AI mannequin, relative to how a lot it prices a human to do one inference question.”
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“But it surely additionally takes numerous vitality to coach a human,” Altman stated. “It takes like 20 years of life and the entire meals you eat throughout that point earlier than you get good. And never solely that, it took the very widespread evolution of the 100 billion people who have ever lived and discovered to not get eaten by predators and discovered how to determine science and no matter, to provide you.”
So in his view, the truthful comparability is, “In the event you ask ChatGPT a query, how a lot vitality does it take as soon as its mannequin is skilled to reply that query versus a human? And possibly, AI has already caught up on an vitality effectivity foundation, measured that method.”
You may watch the complete interview beneath. The dialog about water and vitality utilization begins at round 26:35.
