Sam Altman, the Openai CEO, revealed that the users’ politeness towards Chatgpt comes with a high price, on the order of tens of millions of dollars.
How much does a “thank” Chatgpt Photo costs: Pixabay
A simple “please” or “thank you” addressed to the Chatgpt chatbot may seem like a natural-sense gesture, but it has a huge financial impact, according to the Openai CEO, Sam Altman. He recently wrote on the X platform that the users’ politeness costs the company “tens of millions of dollars”.
“You never know“Added Altman, in an enigmatic formulation that emphasizes the hidden costs of interaction with artificial intelligence.
According to the New York Post, the reason for these expenses is related to the energy needed to process each request. Large linguistic models (LLM) such as Chatgpt work with thousands of high power graphics (GPU) processors, which consume considerable amounts of energy.
A single response generated by AI can consume up to 0.14 kilowatt-in, the equivalent of 14 LED light bulbs for one hour. Globally, this consumption becomes extremely expensive for companies.
It matters how you talk to a chatbot
Surprisingly, politeness is not just a matter of label. Kurtis Bevers, director in the Microsoft Crărtoto team, argues that the respectful language “helps generate results respectful and collaborative ”. “Using a polite language sets a tone for response“He explains.
In addition, the generative takes also reflects the level of professionalism, clarity and detail from the prompts it receives.
Therefore, the way we address AI matters not only for the result, but also for the general tone of the conversation. An essential thing especially in areas such as education, technical support or business communication.
A 2024 survey shows that 67% of American users are constantly using polite language when they interact with chats, and 55% of them believe it is simply an ethical gesture. Others, more jokes, say they do it as a safety measure if the AI revolt.
Thus, a “thank you” told Chatgpt is not free, at least not for those who create it.
