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The environment is a terrible reason to avoid ChatGPT

benjamintodd.substack.com · 1,220 words · saved by 1 readers

The claim that a ChatGPT uses 10x the energy of a google search is based on an estimate from 2023 that each query uses 3 watt-hour. But AI models have become dramatically more efficient, and there have been more detailed estimates. In 2025, the non-profit Epoch AI estimated a typical ChatGPT query uses 0.3 Wh, a figure later confirmed by the CEO of OpenAI, as well as Google. That’s ten times less than the original. It would make a query roughly equivalent to a Google search. The bottle of water per email claim comes from the Washington Post, which gives no source or working and represents a worst case scenario. A more realistic estimate is 2ml per query. So even if you make 10 queries to write a single email, that’s 25 times less. The 0.3 watt-hour needed for one prompt is about the same as: Watching Netflix for 5 seconds Using a microwave for one second Driving an electric car 2 meters There is just as much grounds for criticising the energy consumption of Netflix as GPT, but worrying

The environment is a terrible reason to avoid ChatGPT Benjamin Todd Nov 29, 2025 70 2 9 Share People are saying you shouldn’t use ChatGPT due to statistics like: A ChatGPT query emits 10x more emissions than a Google search. Writing an email with ChatGPT uses a whole bottle of water. ChatGPT uses as much energy as 20,000 households. These stats are wrong or misleading. They’re bad reasons to not use AI. 1. These estimates are often far too high The claim that a ChatGPT uses 10x the energy of a google search is based on an estimate from 2023 that each query uses 3 watt-hour. But AI models have

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