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After an X (formerly known as Twitter) user joked that saying “please” and “thank you” might be raising electricity bills, Altman replied, “Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sparked a wave of discussion online after commenting on a curious yet humorous concern about user interaction habits with ChatGPT. The conversation began when an X (formerly Twitter) user joked that being overly polite—by saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT—might be quietly inflating OpenAI’s energy and operational costs. Altman replied with a tongue-in-cheek yet revealing response: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know.”
This simple exchange opened up a broader conversation around ChatGPT usage habits and the real-world implications of natural language interaction with AI. Given the immense computing power required to run large language models like ChatGPT, every user query contributes to language model costs. Longer and more polite prompts, although well-intentioned, can marginally increase the energy consumption involved in generating responses—especially when scaled to millions of users worldwide.
The ChatGPT politeness cost, while seemingly trivial per interaction, could aggregate into a significant budget line item, potentially impacting OpenAI budget concerns. However, the debate isn't solely about energy or finances. Some in the design and AI ethics community argue that politeness in language helps foster better AI-human relationships. For instance, Microsoft design manager Kurtis Beavers commented that respectful inputs can encourage more empathetic, nuanced, and collaborative responses from AI systems.
Altman’s statement underscores an intriguing dynamic in the AI world—where human behavior, no matter how small or polite, can influence large-scale computational economics. As ChatGPT continues to integrate into daily life, these seemingly minor habits are becoming part of broader discussions on AI sustainability, user etiquette, and system optimization. Whether or not OpenAI adjusts its models or prompts to account for this, the moment offers a glimpse into the subtle interplay between technology, human nature, and cost efficiency in the age of artificial intelligence.
This simple exchange opened up a broader conversation around ChatGPT usage habits and the real-world implications of natural language interaction with AI. Given the immense computing power required to run large language models like ChatGPT, every user query contributes to language model costs. Longer and more polite prompts, although well-intentioned, can marginally increase the energy consumption involved in generating responses—especially when scaled to millions of users worldwide.
The ChatGPT politeness cost, while seemingly trivial per interaction, could aggregate into a significant budget line item, potentially impacting OpenAI budget concerns. However, the debate isn't solely about energy or finances. Some in the design and AI ethics community argue that politeness in language helps foster better AI-human relationships. For instance, Microsoft design manager Kurtis Beavers commented that respectful inputs can encourage more empathetic, nuanced, and collaborative responses from AI systems.
Altman’s statement underscores an intriguing dynamic in the AI world—where human behavior, no matter how small or polite, can influence large-scale computational economics. As ChatGPT continues to integrate into daily life, these seemingly minor habits are becoming part of broader discussions on AI sustainability, user etiquette, and system optimization. Whether or not OpenAI adjusts its models or prompts to account for this, the moment offers a glimpse into the subtle interplay between technology, human nature, and cost efficiency in the age of artificial intelligence.
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