I was about to debate the “drum of oil” quip, but thinking about it: the o1 model can cost tens of dollars for a long back-and-forth conversation.
A barrel of oil is currently $70, so if you’ve spent more than that on your chat, you’ve gone through an “energy slave for a year” in a matter of minutes! (A barrel of oil contains the same energy as the work done by a human labourer over a year.)
Note: You might argue that most of the cost is due to the rental on the chips and not the electrical bill. Sure, but a silicon chip has a minuscule material cost and is mostly expensive because of the energy-intensive processes required to make it.
A barrel of oil is currently $70, so if you’ve spent more than that on your chat, you’ve gone through an “energy slave for a year” in a matter of minutes! (A barrel of oil contains the same energy as the work done by a human labourer over a year.)
Note: You might argue that most of the cost is due to the rental on the chips and not the electrical bill. Sure, but a silicon chip has a minuscule material cost and is mostly expensive because of the energy-intensive processes required to make it.