In a recent paper titled “Making AI Less “Thirsty”: Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models,” […] researchers from the University of Colorado Riverside and the University of Texas Arlington [find that] training GPT-3 in Microsoft’s US data centers can directly consume 700,000 liters of freshwater — equivalent to what it takes to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles. Additionally, for every conversation of about 20-50 questions and answers you have with ChatGPT, the chatbot “drinks” 500ml of water. [G]iven that the tool was the fastest piece of software to reach the 1 million users mark in history and now has over 100 million users, the total combined footprint is enough to cause concern.
Does ChatGPT ‘drink’ water? Research reveals hidden cost of every conversation with the bot | The Indian Express