Saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘Please’ to ChatGPT can cost it millions of dollars, reveals Sam Altman

ChatGPT

Good manners might be priceless in everyday life but when it comes to AI, they come with a surprising cost.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently revealed an unexpected side of our growing relationship with chatbots like ChatGPT. Responding to a post on X (formerly Twitter) about the energy costs of people saying “please” and “thank you” to AI models, Altman admitted that this simple act of courtesy is costing the company tens of millions of dollars. His exact words? “Tens of millions of dollars well spent.”

It might sound amusing at first, but there’s a deeper conversation behind this. Many AI designers believe that polite language isn’t just about kindness, it actually shapes how these systems respond.As per Futurism, Kurtis Beavers, design manager at Microsoft, says that using respectful language encourages AI to offer more collaborative, considerate replies. AI models, after all, mirror the tone and clarity of the prompts they receive.

A recent survey from late 2024 found that 67 percent of Americans admit to being polite with chatbots. While most say it feels like the right thing to do, a small but telling 12 percent confessed they’re just being cautious in case of an AI uprising someday.

However, beyond social habits, there’s a real environmental impact to consider. AI systems, especially large language models like ChatGPT, require massive data centers that consume huge amounts of energy. A Washington Post investigation revealed that generating a simple, 100-word AI email uses enough electricity to power 14 LED lights for an hour. When multiplied by the millions of queries handled by AI every day, those extra polite words aren’t as harmless as they seem.

Currently, data centers already account for about 2 percent of the world’s total energy consumption — a figure expected to rise as AI becomes more integrated into daily life.

So, while it might feel natural, or even wise, to thank your AI assistant, every extra word adds to the system’s workload and environmental footprint. The next time you’re tempted to be overly polite with your chatbot, it might be worth remembering: sometimes, efficiency is the greater kindness — for both the planet and the servers.