Being Polite to ChatGPT Burns Tens of Millions, So Why Does OpenAI's Sam Altman Call It “Well Spent”?

Politeness in AI Interactions: Is It Costing OpenAI Tens of Millions?

What started as a casual query quickly revealed an unexpected reality about AI's growing energy demands.

The question, raised by an X user @tomieinlove, seemed unassuming – how much electricity does OpenAI consume when users add polite phrases like "please" and "thank you" to their AI interactions?

The answer, though, was far from trivial.

Tens of Millions in Costs for Courtesy?

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, responded with surprising transparency, revealing that this politeness might be costing the company tens of millions of dollars.

Altman responded to the post the next day,

"Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know."

The interaction shed light on the significant operational expenses tied to powering AI models, with each polite interaction contributing to the growing energy consumption.

This conversation highlights a pressing reality that running AI models like ChatGPT involves considerable energy usage, not just to process data, but also to keep the servers cool in the high-powered data centres that handle these tasks.

As Altman pointed out, this is an unavoidable cost of providing users with a seamless and responsive AI experience.

Why Do People Use Polite Language with AI?

Interestingly, the widespread use of polite language when interacting with AI seems to be more than just a social nicety.

A recent survey conducted by Future in December 2024 revealed that 67% of American users and 71% of British users are polite to AI assistants, with 55% and 59% respectively citing it as "the right thing to do."

Source: techradar

Meanwhile, 12% of both American and British users confessed that they felt it was better to be courteous, just in case AI becomes sentient in the future and remembers how it was treated.

For some, like engineer Carl Youngblood, politeness in AI interactions is a matter of personal development.

Youngblood explained,

"Treating AIs with courtesy is a moral imperative for me. I do it out of self-interest. Callousness in our daily interactions causes our interpersonal skills to atrophy."

His perspective reflects a broader mindset where users believe that practising politeness—even with AI—might foster positive habits in their everyday human interactions.

The Electricity Debate: How Much Does ChatGPT Really Cost?

Another topic of debate surrounding AI's energy consumption is how much electricity is required to process a single interaction.

A study by Alex de Vries, a well-known critic of Bitcoin mining, claimed that a single query to ChatGPT might use as much as three watt-hours of electricity.

However, Josh You, a data analyst at Epoch AI, contested this figure, arguing that advances in AI hardware and software mean the actual figure is closer to 0.3 watt-hours.

Source: Epoch AI

This disparity in estimates has sparked further conversation about how AI systems can reduce their energy consumption, especially when users engage with the model using more polite language.

One X user suggested that OpenAI should consider ways to save on electricity costs when users add courtesy phrases.

However, Altman has recently mentioned that the company is focusing on improving overall model efficiency, with costs dropping tenfold each year.

How Does Politeness Affect AI’s Response?

While users may not always be aware of the full costs of their polite behaviour, there are some surprising benefits to this approach.

Kurtis Beavers, a design manager at Microsoft, argues that politeness in AI interactions actually leads to more respectful and collaborative outputs.

Beavers explained,

“Using polite language sets a tone for the response.”

The way we interact with AI can shape the responses we get.

Rather than thinking of AI as a sentient being, it’s more accurate to view it as a highly advanced tool that mirrors the language and tone it’s given.

Microsoft’s WorkLab also supported this notion, stating that when users engage with AI in a polite manner, the AI is more likely to reflect that same level of professionalism and precision in its output.

OpenAI’s Financial Outlook Amid Rising Competition

While the costs of politeness are significant, OpenAI continues to make impressive strides in its financial growth.

The company expects to more than triple its revenue this year to $12.7 billion, even as competition from companies like China’s DeepSeek and other AI firms grows.

However, OpenAI does not expect to become cash-flow positive until 2029, projecting revenues to surpass $125 billion by then.

As AI continues to evolve, so too will the complexities of its operation and interaction with users.

While politeness may seem a small gesture, its impact on both the user experience and operational costs is far from insignificant. OpenAI, for one, seems willing to bear the costs for now, with Altman suggesting that it’s money well spent.