Saying 'please' and 'thank you' to AI systems like ChatGPT can have significant financial, environmental, and ethical costs.
OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, have noted that polite phrases increase operational costs by tens of millions of dollars annually.
Polite words like 'please,' 'thank you,' or 'sorry' add extra tokens to queries, increasing processing power, energy usage, and resource consumption.
While the financial and environmental costs are real, being polite to AI systems fosters a connection, encourages positive behavior, and enhances user experience.