TECH NEWS – Sam Altman has revealed why saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT isn’t just pointless—it’s draining money and power. Those seemingly harmless words are generating real electricity costs for OpenAI, with the CEO admitting that politeness is now a measurable burden on their infrastructure.

In recent weeks, OpenAI has seen two massive surges in usage that have pushed ChatGPT’s servers to their limits: Ghibli-style AI image generation and the ability to create your own action figure. On top of that, there’s talk of launching an AI-powered social network, which has caught the attention of the board. Amid all this, Sam Altman took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain why users may be overdoing it with their politeness towards AI.

At the end of February, a study showed that 7 out of 10 people say “please” and “thank you” when talking to AI models. Some do it out of habit or good manners, while others admit they’re afraid of a potential machine uprising. As Reuters noted, Altman revealed via his personal account that OpenAI spends millions of euros per month processing requests containing these polite phrases. Why? Because every message sent to ChatGPT consumes electricity, even the short ones come with a power cost.

OpenAI defends this expense

A single AI-generated email of 100 words can use up to 0.14 kWh of energy. At a global level, AI-powered chatbots could account for as much as 2% of total energy consumption, a figure that has already alarmed several governments and pushed them to seek alternative technologies. Yet Altman defends the cost, even if polite chatter adds to the power bill: “It’s money well spent.”

In any case, this story shows the wide-reaching impact AI is having not just on electricity demand, but also on how humans interact. Even though these models aren’t conscious, many people believe it’s wise to be courteous—just in case. Meanwhile, major tech firms continue to integrate AI into the workplace, prompting Bill Gates to warn that education and healthcare systems could face fundamental changes.

Source: 3djuegos