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If you find yourself saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT, you’re not alone\u2014and you might be costing OpenAI<\/a> more than you think. A recent comment by OpenAI<\/a> CEO Sam Altman revealed that user politeness contributes to \u201ctens of millions of dollars\u201d in electricity costs, due to the computational effort involved in generating those extra conversational responses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Responding to a query on X (formerly Twitter) by user @tomieinlove, who mused about how much the company might be spending on polite exchanges, Altman replied<\/a>: \u201cTens of millions of dollars well spent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He added: \u201cYou never know.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Altman<\/a>\u2019s remark underscores a unique aspect of AI-human interaction. Despite AI being non-sentient, many users instinctively extend social courtesies like \u201cplease\u201d and \u201cthank you\u201d during chats with ChatGPT<\/a>. The phenomenon illustrates how deeply AI tools<\/a> have integrated into our daily lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n These responses might seem insignificant but they make using AI a touch more humane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Behind every polite response lies a high-performance AI model powered by energy-hungry data centers. These facilities consume vast amounts of electricity\u2014not only for computing but also for the cooling systems required to prevent hardware from overheating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As AI tools grow in popularity, Altman\u2019s remarks raise awareness of their environmental footprint. Every message, meme, or friendly back-and-forth with ChatGPT<\/a> contributes to a global network of servers constantly working to keep up with demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Premium users, who pay for access to faster or more capable versions of ChatGPT, might be wondering if their “thank you” carries more weight. Since these users are billed based on tokens\u2014essentially, word count\u2014every extra phrase adds to their cost.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While the energy cost of politeness may raise eyebrows, Altman\u2019s response signals that OpenAI sees value beyond just efficiency. The CEO seems to accept the financial and environmental toll as part of the company\u2019s mission to build AI that feels intuitive and natural to interact with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So if you’re feeling polite next time you use ChatGPT, don\u2019t hold back. As Altman<\/a> said: \u201cTens of millions of dollars well spent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n OpenAI CEO Sam Altman<\/a>\u2019s admission that polite interactions with ChatGPT<\/a> contribute to tens of millions of dollars in electricity costs has sparked a wave of witty and wary responses on social media platform X. While the revelation raised eyebrows, many users chose humor\u2014and a touch of paranoia\u2014to process the news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n One user quipped, \u201cThat’s a small price to pay to feel safe, when the apocalypse comes.\u201d The tongue-in-cheek remark captures a sentiment echoed across multiple posts: being kind to AI may someday pay off in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Echoing similar fears, another user joked, \u201cWe just want to ensure Skynet remembers we were polite as it decides if to use us as batteries or not.\u201d This allusion to The Matrix and Terminator franchises suggests a cultural anxiety about AI dominance that\u2019s creeping into daily digital habits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Another user added, \u201cYou never know if… they will appreciate it on Terminator 2 Judgment Day…?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Not everyone was ready to embrace the looming AI apocalypse. One user pointed out, \u201cI feel this can be solved incredibly easily with client side code answering \u2018you\u2019re welcome\u2019 lol,\u201d suggesting a technical fix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Another user highlighted the growing human tendency to AI. \u201cI talk to ChatGPT as if I were having a conversation,\u201d the user admitted, while another confessed, \u201cMy fear of my AI bot getting mad at me for being rude is confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some framed politeness as a long-term investment: \u201cWhen AI dominates the world, he\/she would respect people who always appreciated its work,\u201d speculated one user. Another agreed, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s a necessary investment in case of the AI taking over the world. Maybe Skynet won\u2019t kill those who showed a bit of courtesy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Another user summed up the general vibe with a simple, ominous reminder: \u201cJust to be safe, be nice to your AI.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe human touch in AI chats<\/h2>\n
Running ChatGPT isn\u2019t cheap<\/h2>\n
Premium users and paid politeness<\/h2>\n
Social media reacts to OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT energy costs<\/h2>\n