Politeness is deeply woven into human culture. From childhood, we were taught to say “please” when asking for something and “thank you” when receiving it — a simple ritual of respect and kindness. But in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), where humans are increasingly talking to machines, even this timeless courtesy carries an unexpected price tag.
In a surprising revelation, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently disclosed that these small, polite phrases — when directed at AI models like ChatGPT — are costing the company tens of millions of dollars each year. While that number might sound exaggerated at first, it highlights a broader and more pressing reality about the hidden energy and environmental costs of AI interactions, as well as the growing AI energy consumption challenge.
A Polite Word, A Heavy Bill
Answering a question on the platform X (formerly Twitter), Altman candidly explained that the extra words we include in prompts, like “please” and “thank you,” slightly increase the length and complexity of the task for the AI. This, in turn, requires more processing power — and when you multiply that tiny increment by millions of users engaging with ChatGPT every day, the cumulative impact becomes financially staggering. While each individual instance may seem harmless, it is like adding a drop of water to a bucket — eventually, the bucket overflows.
Altman’s comments were more than just an amusing narrative; they pointed toward the very real operational costs AI companies face. Training and running large language models require thousands of powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) that consume vast amounts of electricity. Even generating a single ChatGPT response can burn as much energy as powering a dozen LED light bulbs for an hour, further underscoring the AI energy consumption dilemma.
The Environmental Shadow
The costs are not only financial. There is an environmental price, too. Data centers — the sprawling, buzzing facilities that power AI — already account for roughly 2% of global electricity usage, a figure steadily climbing with the rise of AI technologies. Moreover, these centers use tremendous amounts of water to cool the hot servers, contributing to the environmental impact of AI.
In this sense, every little polite prompt adds a molecule to the AI carbon footprint and strains already stretched environmental resources. It paints a new picture: one where the simple act of being courteous to a machine, while emotionally uplifting, could be environmentally taxing.
The Emotional Trade-off
But should we really stop saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT? Not necessarily. Altman himself noted that the expense, while significant, was “well spent.” Politeness in human-AI interactions is not a meaningless nicety; it is part of building trust and making conversations with AI feel more natural and human.
Polite language has also been shown to lead to better, more respectful AI outputs. According to AI ethics expert Dr. Lance B. Eliot, courteous prompts often guide AI models toward giving more professional and helpful responses. It is a bit like teaching a child — the way you ask often shapes the way they respond.
Plus, politeness toward AI can reflect broader societal values. A 2024 survey found that 67% of Americans regularly use polite phrases with chatbots, and many said they did so because “it is just the right thing to do.”
The Larger Conversation About AI and Sustainability
This quirky news story opens the door to a deeper conversation: how do we balance humanity’s desire for ethical, friendly AI interactions with the pressing need for sustainability?
As AI becomes more embedded in education, healthcare, customer service, and creative industries, millions — soon billions — of small daily interactions will quietly draw on vast environmental resources. The problem is not people being polite; the problem is the lack of scalable, energy-efficient AI systems that can reduce the environmental impact of AI.
Solutions like more efficient hardware, renewable energy-powered data centers, and smarter models that can process requests with lower energy demands will be critical for advancing sustainability in artificial intelligence. Otherwise, even our politeness could unwittingly contribute to the global climate crisis.
Final Thoughts: A New Etiquette for a New Era
In a way, the revelation that politeness costs millions is both humbling and inspiring. It reminds us that nothing in our digital lives is truly “free” — not even a simple “please.” But rather than discourage courtesy, it encourages mindfulness. Perhaps the future is not about being less polite to AI, but about demanding better, greener technologies that allow kindness — human kindness — to flourish without hidden consequences.
In the end, it is a story not just about AI, but about what kind of world we want to build — and the small but mighty role every “please” and “thank you” can play in it.
