- Updated: February 22, 2026
- 2 min read
Sam Altman Highlights Human Energy Use vs AI Training in Call for Renewable Power
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently weighed in on the growing debate around artificial intelligence’s environmental footprint, reminding readers that humans themselves consume a massive amount of energy every day. In a candid interview, Altman dismissed exaggerated claims about AI’s water usage as “fake news,” but acknowledged that the overall energy consumption of large‑scale AI models is a legitimate concern.
Altman argued that comparing the energy required for a single AI query to the energy a human expends during the same task is a fair benchmark. He noted that, on a per‑query basis, AI is already more energy‑efficient than a human brain, but the cumulative power needed to train and run massive models still adds up.
To address this, Altman urged the tech industry to double down on clean energy solutions, specifically nuclear, wind, and solar power. He emphasized that the future of AI should be built on sustainable infrastructure, ensuring that rapid advancements do not come at the expense of the planet.
For a deeper dive into Altman’s remarks, read the original story on TechCrunch. Our own analysis on the intersection of AI and sustainability can be found in the AI Energy Hub and the broader discussion on Sustainable Tech Practices at ubos.tech.
Andrii Bidochko
CTO UBOS
Andrii Bidochko is an AI entrepreneur and researcher focused on AI agents, reinforcement learning, and autonomous systems. He writes about the technologies shaping the future of machine intelligence, from frontier models and agent architectures to real-world AI applications.