OpenAI’s ChatGPT consumes 500 ml of water for every 5 to 50 questions it answers. That’s according to a study by Shaolei Ren of the University of California at Riverside and researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington, Analytics Insights reports.

According to the report, Microsoft’s global water consumption increased by 34% between 2021 and 2022 as a result of significant investments in artificial intelligence.

In training GPT-3 at Microsoft data centers, it is estimated that 700,000 liters or about 185,000 gallons of fresh water were used. That’s enough water to fill the cooling tower of a nuclear reactor, according to Gizmodo, and the same amount used to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla cars, according to the study.

Using these calculations, it was determined that ChatGPT would need 500 ml of water for every 5 to 50 questions it answered.

In a very short period of time, generative AI assistants like ChatGPT, Bard, Dall-E and others have managed to become a part of not only the professional lives of many, but have also crept their way into their personal lives. And the touchy subject of whether AI will replace the need for humans still holds a prominent place today.

Small businesses developing advances in AI are also attracting significant investment from IT giants.