Being polite to ChatGPT is costing OpenAI millions, says Sam Altman

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that users’ habit of being polite to artificial intelligence may be leading to substantial energy costs, but described it as money “well spent”.

The comment came in response to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @tomieinlove, who questioned how much electricity OpenAI might have consumed as a result of users adding courteous phrases such as “please” and “thank you” while using ChatGPT. Altman responded, saying: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know,” in a light-hearted acknowledgment of the platform’s growing operational demands.

The conversation highlights an emerging trend in human-AI interaction. A 2024 survey found that 67 per cent of Americans reported using polite language with their AI assistants. Among them, 55 per cent stated that it was simply “the right thing to do”, while 12 per cent admitted they were being courteous “just in case” of a future AI uprising.

According to HT, experts suggest that there may be practical benefits to polite interaction. Microsoft design manager Kurtis Beavers told Futurism that using respectful language with generative AI could influence the quality of responses. According to a memo from Microsoft WorkLab, polite prompts “help generate respectful, collaborative outputs”, and that AI systems tend to mirror the professionalism and tone of the language used by the user.

Despite the potential energy costs, Altman’s remark indicates a positive view of the growing engagement with ChatGPT. In an earlier discussion with TED curator Chris Anderson on 11 April, Altman estimated that the chatbot now has around 800 million weekly active users, approximately 10 per cent of the global population.

 

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