The Hidden Cost Of 'Please' And 'Thank You' In ChatGPT Interactions

“Please” and “thank you” feel harmless, like adding a little extra kindness to a conversation. But Sam Altman says that kind of politeness has a very unromantic price tag, one that shows up in the electricity bill.

It kicked off when someone on X joked about calculating the cost of all those extra “please” and “thank you”s, and the post took off fast, racking up thousands of retweets and more than 180,000 likes. Then Altman stepped in with a straight answer: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent-you never know,” tying the viral debate to the real math of how much energy ChatGPT uses per reply.

Now the question is less “should we be polite?” and more “how expensive is etiquette when you’re doing it billions of times a day?”

Being polite to ChatGPT wastes 'tens of millions' in energy, says Altman.

That said, the extra politeness is hurting OpenAI’s bottom line. On X (formerly Twitter), someone joked they’d love to calculate the cost of those extra “please” and “thank you”s.

The question blew up—thousands of retweets and over 180,000 likes. That’s when Sam Altman jumped in with a straight answer: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know.”

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That X joke about counting “please” and “thank you”s did not stay a meme for long, because it landed right on Altman’s radar.

What makes AI so hungry for energy? Every time ChatGPT crafts a short reply, it uses about 0.14 kWh of electricity. In everyday terms, that’s like running fourteen LED lightbulbs for an hour.

But ChatGPT isn’t replying a few times an hour; it’s firing off billions of answers daily. Multiply that tiny energy use by billions, and you quickly reach staggering figures.

Still, Altman and his team see it as a worthwhile trade-off.

In other words, being courteous isn’t just about manners; it’s fueling the AI’s learning curve. And judging by how fast ChatGPT continues to improve, the extra cost might be paying off.

Once Altman put a number on it, the conversation shifted from manners to watts, with every tiny response adding up fast.

The Cost of Politeness

Politeness can have unexpected ramifications in the digital age. When users employ polite language like 'please' or 'thank you,' it may inadvertently signal a higher processing load to the AI, subsequently increasing operational costs. This balance can maintain user satisfaction while being mindful of computational efficiency.

It’s like Instagram-polished photos versus real-life expectations, where the “extra” changes everything.

Many people didn’t realize that saying “please” and “thank you” to the AI chatbot can incur extra fees.

Microsoft Copilot’s design director Kurtis Beavers also weighs in on the debate. He points out that AI tends to mirror the tone of its user.

If you’re friendly, the chatbot will usually match that friendliness. “Using polite language sets a tone for the response,” he says. “It’s a conversation.” In contrast, a brusque or demanding tone might invite short, clipped answers that feel more robotic.

Of course, not everyone agrees that you must be so formal with a machine. Some users skip the courtesy phrases to save time or energy, both theirs and the AI’s.

A shorter prompt can be faster to type and, theoretically, cheaper to process. But that raises a question: do we want our interactions with AI to feel transactional or conversational? If we aim for genuine dialogue, perhaps we should keep those polite habits.

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Even the way ChatGPT copies your tone matters, because a friendly back-and-forth can nudge the chatbot toward longer, more “conversation-like” replies.

A simple “please” might cost a few more joules of power here and there, but it could be a small price to pay if it leads to better, more cooperative interactions.

Plus, it might help the AI remember you as someone easy to work with, rather than a user who barked orders and left.

And when you remember ChatGPT is generating billions of answers daily, that extra politeness stops being cute and starts looking like a real operational cost.

Professionals in the tech industry often overlook the implications of user language on operational expenses. Maintaining a positive tone can still be achieved without overdoing pleasantries, especially in AI interactions. Instead of excessive politeness, concise and respectful language can lead to more efficient exchanges. This approach not only streamlines communication but also helps reduce the hidden costs associated with overly formal interactions with AI systems.

In the evolving landscape of AI interactions, understanding the balance between politeness and efficiency is crucial. Not only does this require a shift in how we engage with technology, but it also emphasizes the need for ongoing education about effective communication strategies.

As we continue to integrate AI into our daily lives, finding this balance will not only save costs but will also improve the overall effectiveness of these tools.

Nobody wants to be rude to a chatbot, but that kindness is getting power-hungry fast.

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