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Topics: Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Money, Technology, Twitter, Social Media
Mia Williams
Topics: Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Money, Technology, Twitter, Social Media
The CEO of OpenAI has warned about the impact of users being polite to ChatGPT, after the billionaire makes a shocking claim.
While everyone knows that there isn't actually a human being answering your weird and wonderful questions on the other side of the AI platform, some users still use 'please' and 'thank you' when making requests to ChatGPT.
But tech billionaire Sam Altman, CEO of the company, has given some insight into how this impacts his business, and why it might not actually be the most polite thing to do.
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In 2024, a survey suggested that 67 percent of Americans are nice to AI bots, but it turns out that the simple polite phrases are adding up big time.
Users have been more recently made aware of the impact that the platform has on the environment.
It's been suggested that ChatGPT emits 8.4 tons of carbon dioxide per year, more than twice the amount that is emitted by one individual.
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Experts have suggested that the chatbots already use two percent of the entire world's energy consumptions, and it's only going to increase.
But Altman warned that users being polite is actually costing him 'tens of millions'.
When one person on X wondered how much it could potentially be costing the company, the CEO himself replied, saying: "Tens of millions of dollars well spent - you never know."
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But Microsoft's design manager, Kurtis Beavers, has argued that keeping interactions polite may be a good thing.
He said: "Using polite language sets a tone for the response.
"When it clocks politeness, it’s more likely to be polite back."
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A Microsoft WorkLab memo added: "Generative AI also mirrors the levels of professionalism, clarity, and detail in the prompts you provide."
But the revelation has had a mixed response from users who usually say 'please' and 'thank you' to the AI bot.
One said: "Yeah I'm making sure when the AI uprising comes they remember who was polite to them."
Another joked: "God forbid our mothers raised us with manners."
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"Gotta show them respect they gonna be running the world one day," a third added.
Another user said: "They‘ll remember each of us for our good manners when they take over."
But one person asked ChatGPT itself whether it prefers manners, and the outcome was very interesting.
According to the user, the AI bot responded: "No, it’s not wrong at all. Saying 'thank you' and 'please' isn’t just a sign of good manners - it also makes the interaction more pleasant, even if you’re talking to an AI like me.
"As for electricity: yes, technically, every extra word uses a tiny bit more processing power, but the difference is so small that it has no meaningful impact on energy consumption."
Well, there you have it.