Politeness Tax: How Saying Please to ChatGPT Costs Millions

Think being nice to AI is harmless? Think again.

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, dropped a surprising fact last week. All those “pleases” and “thank yous” directed at ChatGPT? They’re adding up to a seriously hefty electricity bill.

We’re talking “tens of millions of dollars” higher. Just because we’re being polite.

Wait, Really? Why?

Someone on X wondered aloud how much OpenAI was losing because of our good manners. Altman’s response was pretty direct: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know. ”

But why does being polite to a computer program cost so much?

Well, AI isn’t exactly cheap to run. A recent report showed that using ChatGPT for a query sucks up ten times more energy than a regular Google search.

The “Politeness Tax” is Real

It turns out, a whole lot of us are being polite to AI. A survey found that 67% of Americans who use AI say “please” and “thank you. ”

Why? Some are worried about a robot uprising (18% admit this! ). The rest? They just think it’s the right thing to do.

And maybe there’s a reason beyond just being nice. One design director noted that polite language might actually influence the AI’s response.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

One estimate says ChatGPT guzzles over a billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. That’s almost $140 million in energy costs. Per year.

And it’s not just electricity. AI needs water to cool those powerful servers. A short email could take over 1400ml of water to generate!

OpenAI Can Afford It. .. For Now

The good news for OpenAI? They’re doing pretty well. They recently raised a ton of money and have hundreds of millions of users.

But it does make you wonder: is our politeness breaking the bank? Is being courteous to AI a luxury we can afford? Or are we just being too nice?