Your politeness could be costly for OpenAI

techcrunch.comPublished: 4/20/2025

Summary

A light-hearted question about OpenAI's electricity costs from polite AI interactions sparked a thought-provoking response from CEO Sam Altman. While Altman joked about the financial impact of "please" and "thank you," experts like Microsoft Copilot’s Kurt Beavers revealed that politeness actually shapes how AI responds, encouraging courteous behavior in return. Interestingly, profanity also has its place in these interactions, hinting at a nuanced balance between tone and functionality.

Additional Summaries

"OpenAI's employees are wondering if they've lost money due to users politely addressing their models with 'please' and 'thank you.' In a quick reply, CEO Sam Altman quipped that such politeness is worth it after all—light-hearted as he didn't crunch numbers. Futurism now debates whether being courteous to ChatGPT and other AI chatbots could actually be a waste of resources. Meanwhile, design lead Kurt Beavers from Microsoft's Copilot team supports the idea, stating that polite language sets a positive tone for responses, increasing the likelihood of helpful replies. However, he also notes profanity can sometimes have its uses."