The billionaire tech leader was discussing rampant backlash online against AI companies during an appearance on a Tuesday episode of the new “Sources” podcast with host Alex Heath.
Page A6From§Eachthe matinee edition — 4 September 2026
Americans polled on living near AI centers, told a ChatGPT only drinks an almond's worth of water
As it ran on the front
There's a new poll making the rounds: when asked whether they'd prefer to live next to a nuclear power plant or an artificial intelligence data center, Americans hesitated—and the numbers gave the edge to nuclear. Now, tech leaders have an answer for the fearmongers: OpenAI's Sam Altman assures us that each ChatGPT query only uses as much water as it takes to grow an almond—thirty-eight thousand prompts for a single almond's worth. He did not specify whether your local almond grove has a server farm in the middle or whether the water is drawn from your own tap.
The debate here isn't really about nuclear versus silicon. It's about what we aren't told: how much infrastructure, how much water, how much risk is rerouted to the communities who get no say. The nuclear option comes with regulation, oversight, and a track record—good or bad—while the data center comes with a cheery CEO and a metaphor. By the time the pipes run dry or the grid flickers, it's too late to ask who signed up for the experiment.…
…(cont) The poll's punchline is that the choice is never between the future and the past; it's between the future you get to vote on and the future that's already been installed down the road. The almond, it turns out, is just the garnish. Your water bill is the entrée.
“So the pitch is: you might get stuck living next to a giant server farm, but don't worry, it only sips as much water as an almond—per query. That's not exactly reassuring when the tap runs dry and your neighbor is a robot. Only in America does the tech sell itself by comparing its thirst to the snack aisle.”
“Americans are just sensible, that's all. Given the choice between a nuclear plant and an AI facility, it's rational to consider the facts and, well, water use matters! Besides, if the CEO says it's only one almond, that's a nut we can crack, right? Wait, did I say that? I mean, the comparison is just illustrative.”
The receipts
Hostility and opposition to data centers was palpable four months ago. It has gotten much worse since then. Americans’ increasing aversion to new data centers borders on mass hysteria.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.