Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to ChatGPT is costing millions of dollars
By Marc Menendez-Roche • Published: 20 Apr 2025 • 14:26 • 1 minute read
'Polite' prompt shock: saying please to ChatGPT is costing millions. Credit: Primakov, Shutterstock
Being polite to your AI might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but it’s also burning through millions in electricity – literally.
OpenAI boss Sam Altman has admitted that saying “please” and “thank you” to chatbots like ChatGPT is stacking up tens of millions of dollars in computing costs. Responding to a cheeky post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman quipped it was “tens of millions of dollars well spent.” And why? “You never know,” he added – a remark equal parts cryptic and comedic.
But what sounds like a digital-era punchline has a very real environmental punch. A Washington Post investigation found that writing a single 100-word AI-generated email uses about 0.14 kilowatt-hours of electricity – about 37% of the electricity that an average Spanish home uses in one hour, according to Repsol.
Microsoft’s design manager Kurtis Beavers, however, argues that courtesy isn’t wasted – it’s programming with purpose. “Using polite language sets a tone for the response,” he explains. Microsoft’s own internal memos suggest generative AI mirrors the professionalism and clarity of the input it receives – like an extremely clever parrot with manners.
Still, there’s a bigger issue brewing. Data centres that power these AI tools are already hoovering up around 2% of global electricity – and that figure is rising.
A 2024 survey revealed 67% of Americans are sweet-talking their AI. Over half said it was “just the right thing to do,” while 12% hoped it might spare them in an AI uprising.
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Marc Menendez-Roche
Marc is a writer, educator, and language enthusiast with a background in business and legal communication. With over a decade of experience in writing and teaching, he brings a clear, engaging voice to complex topics—guided by a keen interest in educational neuroscience and how people learn. At Euro Weekly News, Marc contributes lifestyle features and community-focused stories that highlight everyday life across Spain. His ability to connect language, learning, and lived experience helps bring depth and relatability to the topics he covers.
Comments
vadek
21 April 2025 • 12:50AI uses the predefined by a human answers.
Al green
21 April 2025 • 13:36Thing is if something as simple as that is wasting so much money and so much energy imagine how wasetfull the whole endeavor is. And this is just execution. Not the intensive learning. Those companies racing are brute forcing using investment money and energy to the levels that barely makes any sense to do at that pace. The damage they’re doing is incredible.
Andrew
21 April 2025 • 17:42if your argument is that money is wasted, then no, it’s not. AI analytics, LLMs, and generative capabilities save businesses far more time and money. If you look at AI investment, organizations generally see a 141% ROI from AI. The money is very much worth the investment.
If you want to talk environmental issues, there is value in that discussion but you’ll find that much of AI is powered by renewables.
Sule
21 April 2025 • 14:36I think I got dumber reading this article
Khaled
21 April 2025 • 15:46Why can’t we just do a simple text replacement to remove the politeness? This should be a very simple algorithm before sending the text for inference!
Bibek Howlader
22 April 2025 • 12:10Yes and I do the same. We should do with polite and it may gradually improve our own politeness.
Comments are closed.