OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently discussed the significant costs associated with incorporating polite phrases like “please” and “thank you” into ChatGPT’s responses.
According to details, while these courtesies enhance user experience by making interactions feel more human-like, they also increase the computational resources required for each response, leading to higher electricity consumption and operational expenses.
Each polite phrase in a ChatGPT response adds tokens to the model’s output. Given that ChatGPT handles billions of queries daily, these additional tokens accumulate, resulting in substantial energy usage. Altman estimated that processing these polite exchanges costs OpenAI “tens of millions of dollars” annually .
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The environmental impact of AI extends beyond energy consumption. For instance, generating a short response like “You’re welcome” can consume approximately 40–50 milliliters of water due to the cooling requirements of data centers . As AI adoption grows, so does its environmental footprint, prompting discussions about the sustainability of current AI infrastructure .
Despite the costs, Altman believes that maintaining politeness in AI interactions is valuable. Polite prompts can lead to more accurate and contextually appropriate responses, enhancing user satisfaction. However, there’s a trade-off between the benefits of human-like interactions and the associated environmental and financial costs .
In summary, while polite phrases in AI interactions contribute to a more engaging user experience, they also introduce significant operational costs and environmental considerations. OpenAI continues to explore ways to balance these factors as AI technology evolves.
