OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that when people say “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT, it adds millions of dollars to electricity costs. These polite words may seem small, but every extra word adds to the amount of power needed to run AI systems like ChatGPT.
AI models use a lot of electricity when they process text. Even short messages take energy, and when millions of users interact with AI every day, the total power use becomes huge. That’s why Altman raised a question — do we really need to be polite to machines?
Some experts believe that saying kind words helps make conversations with chatbots feel better and more respectful. It can help users feel like they’re talking to something more human-like. But on the other hand, these AI systems don’t have feelings. They don’t understand emotions like people do. So, is it really useful to be polite to something that can’t feel or care?
Altman isn’t saying we should be rude. Instead, he’s asking people to think about the impact of every word. Since AI responses depend on what users type, even small changes in language affect how much energy the system uses. With climate change and energy concerns growing, being mindful of how we use technology is becoming more important.
