Thirty-eight thousand ChatGPT queries versus a single almond may sound like a strange sequel to the “100 men versus a gorilla” viral debate meme. Instead, it’s just Sam Altman’s response to public concerns over AI’s water usage.
In a recent podcast, the OpenAI CEO sat down with tech reporter Alex Heath to discuss the future of the technology while also addressing concerns over AI’s impact on society—with one moment in particular going viral.
When asked about public concerns over the water usage of large language models like ChatGPT, Altman tried countering the worries by offering a comparison to a more water-taxing product.
“I saw this thing going around about the water usage of ChatGPT and it was like, ‘every time you run a ChatGPT query, it’s like you ran your shower for six hours and the water never comes back,’” Altman told Heath. “I think the real number is something like . . . for every 38,000 ChatGPT [queries], that is the same amount of water that is used in the production of a single almond in California.”
“A robust meme”
Questions around AI-related water usage have become an increasingly hot topic on social media, despite the fact that tracking exactly how much water AI data centers use is extremely difficult. Yet, research reveals that despite a growing demand for water related to data centers, other industries like agriculture still top AI in terms of water consumption.
“The people that are scarfing down 12 almonds at a time don’t feel like they are doing something horrible from a water perspective,” Altman added. “That has been a robust meme and difficult to disprove, but I don’t think it holds up to any scrutiny.”
Either way, social media users have decided to turn Altman’s response into its own meme.
Some have opted to christen the tech boss “Sam Almond,” sharing AI-generated images of Altman as an almond.
Others have extended the references to the “almond mom” meme, which refers to mothers who impose unhealthy eating habits on their kids.
“Well an almond feeds my mom for a whole day unlike 38,000 chatgpt queries,” one user said.
Another replied with an AI-generated image of Yolanda Hadid—who gained notoriety for telling her then-teenage model daughter Gigi to chew on almonds on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, in a clip that later inspired the “almond mom” meme.
But many more surfaced a counterpoint to Altman’s almond comparison, referencing that while water usage for agriculture, or in this case, a single almond, can be higher than a query, agriculture ultimately fulfills a human need that ChatGPT can’t simply replace: food.
“Me eat almond. Me no eat data,” a user said on X. Another added: “Then maybe he should eat 38,000 ChatGPT queries for lunch.”