OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman noted on social media platform X that processing polite phrases like "please" and "thank you" costs the company tens of millions of dollars. This was reported by Futurism.

While polite communication with chatbots may seem trivial, some experts find it valuable. For instance, Microsoft design manager Curtis Beavers states that proper etiquette "helps generate better outcomes."

A survey conducted at the end of 2024 revealed that 67% of respondents in the US reported being polite when interacting with chatbots. Of this group, 55% said they do it "because it's the right thing to do," while 12% did it to calm the algorithm in case of an AI uprising.

Although many experts assert that an AI revolution is far off, user politeness could already have significant ecological implications.

A study by the Washington Post in collaboration with researchers from the University of California found that generating a 100-word email requires 0.14 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to power 14 LED bulbs for an hour. Sending one email a week for a year would accumulate to 7.5 kWh.

Data centers that support these chatbots already consume around 2% of global energy, and that figure is only expected to grow.