The Cost of Courtesy: OpenAI's Millions Spent on Polite AI Interactions

25 Sources

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reveals that users' politeness to AI chatbots costs the company millions in electricity, sparking debates on the necessity and impact of being courteous to AI.

News article

The Costly Courtesy of AI Interactions

In a surprising revelation, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disclosed that users saying "please" and "thank you" to AI chatbots like ChatGPT has cost the company "tens of millions of dollars" in electricity expenses 1. This statement, made in response to a user's query on X (formerly Twitter), has ignited a debate about the necessity and impact of being polite to AI.

The Energy Cost of AI Politeness

Every interaction with AI chatbots requires computing power, and even small additions like "please" and "thank you" add up when multiplied across millions of users. According to a Goldman Sachs report, while a Google search consumes 0.3 watt-hours of electricity, a single ChatGPT search uses 2.9 watt-hours 2. This increased energy consumption has significant implications for data center power usage and water consumption for cooling.

The Scale of AI Energy Consumption

The energy demands of AI are substantial and growing. US data centers currently consume about 4.4% of the country's electricity, a figure expected to reach 12% by 2028 3. The International Energy Agency predicts global data center electricity consumption will more than double by 2030, with AI driving most of this growth.

Debating the Real Costs

While Altman's statement has garnered attention, some experts question the actual cost of politeness. Calculations based on GPT-3.5 Turbo's token pricing suggest that the cost of adding "please" and "thank you" might be closer to $146,000 per year, far less than the "tens of millions" mentioned 4. However, without access to OpenAI's internal metrics, precise figures remain elusive.

The Cultural Implications of AI Politeness

Despite the costs, there may be cultural reasons to maintain politeness in AI interactions. Research indicates that using polite language can improve AI outputs and set a tone for more respectful, collaborative responses 3. Some experts argue that cultivating politeness in AI interactions could have positive spillover effects on human-to-human interactions 5.

The Future of Human-AI Interactions

As AI continues to advance, questions about how humans should interact with these systems become increasingly relevant. While AI doesn't have feelings, some argue that maintaining politeness could be beneficial if we ever face a future with superintelligent AI 4. Others suggest that being polite to AI could help humans build better habits for interpersonal interactions 5.

As the debate continues, it's clear that the intersection of AI, human behavior, and resource consumption will remain a complex and evolving topic. While the exact cost of politeness to AI may be disputed, the broader implications for energy use, social norms, and the future of human-AI relationships continue to spark important discussions in the tech world and beyond.

Explore today's top stories

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Predicts AI Will Create More Millionaires Than the Internet, Calls It the 'Greatest Equalizer'

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang forecasts that AI will create more millionaires in 5 years than the internet did in 20, emphasizing its role as a technology equalizer and driver of innovation across industries.

TweakTown logoEconomic Times logo

2 Sources

Technology

20 hrs ago

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Predicts AI Will Create More

Huawei Unveils CloudMatrix 384: A Powerful AI Computing System Challenging Nvidia's Dominance

Huawei showcases its CloudMatrix 384 AI computing system at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, positioning it as a rival to Nvidia's top product in the growing AI sector.

Reuters logoEconomic Times logoWccftech logo

4 Sources

Technology

20 hrs ago

Huawei Unveils CloudMatrix 384: A Powerful AI Computing

Perplexity's Comet: The AI-Powered Browser Challenging Chrome's Dominance

Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-integrated browser that offers advanced features like task automation and intelligent search, potentially reshaping the future of web browsing.

XDA-Developers logoTom's Guide logo

3 Sources

Technology

20 hrs ago

Perplexity's Comet: The AI-Powered Browser Challenging

UN Tech Chief Calls for Global Approach to AI Regulation Amid Divergent Strategies

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union, emphasizes the urgent need for a global framework to regulate AI, warning of potential risks and inequalities from fragmented approaches.

France 24 logoEconomic Times logo

2 Sources

Policy and Regulation

4 hrs ago

UN Tech Chief Calls for Global Approach to AI Regulation

DOGE's AI Tool Aims to Slash 50% of Federal Regulations

The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is developing an AI tool to analyze and potentially eliminate half of all federal regulations, sparking debate over its effectiveness and implications.

engadget logoWashington Post logoThe Guardian logo

4 Sources

Policy and Regulation

12 hrs ago

DOGE's AI Tool Aims to Slash 50% of Federal Regulations
TheOutpost.ai

Your Daily Dose of Curated AI News

Don’t drown in AI news. We cut through the noise - filtering, ranking and summarizing the most important AI news, breakthroughs and research daily. Spend less time searching for the latest in AI and get straight to action.

© 2025 Triveous Technologies Private Limited
Instagram logo
LinkedIn logo