OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that politeness in interactions with AI, such as saying “please” and “thank you,” has cost the company “tens of millions of dollars” in electricity expenses.

This comment was made in response to a user query on X (formerly Twitter) about the financial impact of using polite language with AI models.

Altman’s remark, which seemed lighthearted, has ignited discussions on the value of politeness towards AI.

Kurt Beavers, a director on Microsoft’s Copilot design team, explained that polite input often leads to more courteous responses from AI models.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Human brains are wired to treat AI systems as social beings

Research into human-computer interaction has consistently found that we naturally apply social rules to technology despite knowing they’re not sentient.

The CASA (Computers as Social Actors) theory explains how humans instinctively treat computers as social beings, extending politeness and other social norms to our digital interactions 1.

This behavior reflects fundamental patterns in human psychology where our brains process social interactions through mirror neurons that respond similarly whether we’re interacting with humans or technology 2.

Studies show this tendency is particularly strong with conversational AI because its human-like responses trigger our ingrained social programming, making politeness feel natural even when we logically understand it’s unnecessary.

When we say “please” to ChatGPT, we’re demonstrating the same psychological mechanisms that govern human-to-human interactions, showing how deeply social rules are embedded in our cognition.

2️⃣ Politeness creates a feedback loop that shapes AI responses

The exchange between humans and AI isn’t one-directional, as our communication style directly influences the responses we receive.

Microsoft’s research confirms that “using polite language sets a tone for the response,” with AI systems more likely to respond politely when they detect politeness in user inputs 3.

This creates a reciprocal pattern where polite queries tend to generate more helpful, respectful, and collaborative AI outputs, enhancing the overall quality of the interaction.