No, AI Doesn't Drink a Bottle of Water per prompt.

Recent headlines have painted artificial intelligence (AI) as an unsustainable "resource guzzler," citing sensational figures like "500 mL of water per ChatGPT prompt" or claims that AI data centers will soon rival countries in electricity use. These narratives have directly shaped public perception, driven calls for urgent regulation, and influenced policy debates across the U.S. and around the globe. Yet, the technical reality behind AI's environmental footprint is far more nuanced and is often misrepresented by advocacy groups, industry incumbents, and media outlets with vested interests. This white paper examines the most widely cited claims about AI's water and electricity consumption, using validated engineering fundamentals, the latest data center practices, and authoritative sources such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and AirConditioning (ASHRAE) Handbook, International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Department of Energy (DOE).