Jakarta, INTI – Being polite is rarely wrong—at least ethically. But who would have thought that simple words like “please” and “thank you” could cost OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, millions of dollars? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently revealed the surprising financial burden that comes with users being too courteous to AI.
Millions Spent on Politeness
In an interview quoted by the New York Post on Tuesday (April 22, 2025), Altman admitted that polite words significantly impact OpenAI’s expenses—not because the words themselves are special, but because of their effect on computing demands.
“Tens of millions of dollars well spent. You never know,” Altman said, half-jokingly, while hinting at a serious truth.
The reasoning is simple: the more complex and lengthy a prompt—including extra polite phrasing—the more computing power is required to process it. And that means higher energy consumption at OpenAI’s data centers.
The High Cost of a Single AI Response
ChatGPT runs on a large language model (LLM) that depends heavily on data center infrastructure powered by thousands of high-performance GPUs. These GPUs handle massive computational loads to interpret prompts and generate real-time responses.
Generating just one AI-written response, such as a short email or paragraph, is estimated to consume about 0.14 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity—equivalent to running 14 LED light bulbs for an hour.
With billions of interactions happening daily, the total energy usage becomes significant. Currently, data centers worldwide account for roughly 2% of global electricity consumption. Experts warn that this figure could rise sharply as generative AI continues to grow in popularity.
Should We Be Polite to AI?
Opinions are divided on whether politeness toward AI is necessary. On one hand, many users see it as a matter of ethics. A 2024 survey found that 67% of American users speak politely to chatbots, with 55% believing it’s the “right thing to do.” Meanwhile, 12% jokingly said they’re polite to prevent the AI from rebelling.
Others argue that polite phrases are unnecessary when dealing with machines. However, Kurtis Beavers, Director of Design for Microsoft Copilot, suggests that politeness may influence the tone and style of AI responses, as models often mirror the behavior of users.
Microsoft’s WorkLab supports this view: “When you show politeness, the AI is more likely to respond politely in return.”
Conclusion: Politeness Has Value—But It Comes at a Price
“Please” and “thank you” may not cost anything emotionally, but they do come with an electric bill. Still, the debate over how we interact with AI isn't just about cost—it's also about ethics and the evolving relationship between humans and machines.
Sam Altman may lament the rising electricity bills, but it seems the world isn’t ready to give up on treating AI with basic human decency—even if it’s just a chatbot.
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