AI Uses Less Water Than You Think. But It Costs More Than It Should. A new study from UC Davis is making the rounds on Hacker News right now: AI data centers use significantly less water than the public has been led to believe. The internet ran with the scary numbers. The reality is more nuanced. A typical ChatGPT query uses roughly the same water as charging your phone for 20 minutes. Good news. The AI water hysteria was overblown. But here's the thing nobody's talking about: while the water FUD was dominating headlines, the cost FUD got buried. The Real AI Resource Story Is Pricing, Not Water Let's put some real numbers on the table. ChatGPT Plus: $20/month That's $240/year. For one person. To use a chat interface.…