Turns out, when it comes to AI, it's a luxury.OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, recently revealed that the collective politeness of ChatGPT users—those extra "pleases" and "thank yous"—has cost the company tens of millions of dollars in additional computational expenses. Each extra word we type requires more processing power, translating to higher electricity usage and environmental impact. Yet, despite the costs, Altman remarked that it's "tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know.
"Why do we extend human courtesies to machines? A 2024 survey found that 67% of Americans use polite language with AI, with 55% believing it's the right thing to do, and 12% doing so just in case of a future robot uprising. Thats also what I hear from friends and colleagues - you never know. Its a bit like the Icelandic people and their trolls and fairies. They all agree that they don't exist but let just not annoy them nevertheless.
So, next time you thank your AI assistant, remember: your manners are making the world a slightly warmer place—literally.
