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Is Sam Altman right that almonds use more water than ChatGPT queries?
Summary by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk · Byline on the source page: Rachel Becker | CalMatters , as published by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio)
· September 4, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) · view original
Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, testifying before a Senate committee in 2025. (Jose Luis Magana / ) As Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs whether to require data centers to disclose how much water they use, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says concerns over AI’s water use don’t hold “up to...
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Summary created by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Rachel Becker | CalMatters, as published by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) Original story Read at the source Source published Sep 4, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Gavin Newsom weighs whether to require data centers to disclose how much water they use, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says concerns over AI’s water use don’t hold “up to... Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, testifying before a Senate committee in 2025.
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What is this story about? Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, testifying before a Senate committee in 2025. (Jose Luis Magana / ) As Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs whether to require data centers to disclose how much water they use, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says concerns over AI’s water use don’t hold “up to...
When was this published? This article was first published on September 4, 2026 by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) and curated for The Los Angeles readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Rachel Becker | CalMatters at LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio). To learn more about how The Los Angeles selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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