The Unexpected Cost of Politeness in the Age of AI
The Unexpected Cost of Politeness in the Age of AI The rise of sophisticated AI chatbots like ChatGPT has ushered in a new era of human-computer interaction, where conversations feel increasingly natural. It has become commonplace for users to extend basic social graces to these digital assistants, employing phrases such as "please" and "thank you" as if interacting with another person. However, this seemingly innocuous behavior has a tangible impact on the operational costs of the companies behind these technologies. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently revealed that the cumulative effect of users being polite to ChatGPT costs the company "tens of millions of dollars" annually. 1 This revelation underscores the significant computational resources required to power these advanced models and how even subtle aspects of user interaction can contribute to substantial expenses. Understanding the reasons behind this cost requires a deeper examination of how la...