OpenAI CEO Sam Altman faced sharp scrutiny after defending artificial intelligence’s environmental footprint with a controversial comparison to human development. Speaking at an AI summit in India, Altman addressed growing concerns about energy and water usage tied to advanced AI systems. His remarks, including a comparison between AI training and raising a human being, quickly drew criticism.
Sam Altman made the comments during a public appearance covered by TechCrunch. Responding to questions about the environmental toll of AI, Altman acknowledged that concerns about total energy consumption are legitimate. He said global AI usage has increased energy demand and argued that the solution lies in accelerating the transition to nuclear, wind, and solar power.
Altman rejected a claim that a single ChatGPT query consumes the equivalent of 1.5 iPhone battery charges, a comparison previously discussed in conversations involving Bill Gates. He stated that such estimates are overstated and not reflective of actual per-query usage.
However, it was Altman’s broader analogy that generated controversy. He argued that comparisons between AI training and a single human task are misleading. “But it also takes a lot of energy to train a human,” Altman said. He continued by noting that human intelligence requires roughly 20 years of life, food consumption, and the accumulated knowledge of billions who lived before.
Critics objected to what they viewed as a false equivalence between human life and machine systems. Altman suggested that a fairer metric would compare the energy used by a fully trained AI model to answer a single question against the energy a human would expend to provide the same answer. Under that framework, he claimed AI has achieved parity or better in energy efficiency.
The broader debate reflects rising global concern over the infrastructure demands of AI development. Data centers require vast amounts of electricity and water for cooling. Policymakers continue to examine how to balance innovation with responsible stewardship of natural resources.
The controversy also unfolds amid growing scrutiny of Big Tech’s influence on culture and politics. In the upcoming book Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI, Wynton Hall examines the race to shape artificial intelligence and its implications for American values. Senator Marsha Blackburn, recently recognized among TIME’s most influential voices in AI policy, has described the book as a “must-read,” highlighting concerns about protecting children, creators, and conservatives from technological overreach.
As AI adoption accelerates, the discussion over energy use, ethical limits, and cultural impact continues to intensify. Industry leaders defend rapid development as essential to economic growth, while lawmakers and watchdog groups push for accountability and transparency.
