OpenAI Reveals How Costly It Is When You Say 'Please' And 'Thank You' To ChatGPT

OpenAI has revealed that it actually costs them a staggering amount when users end their ChatGPT prompts with a polite 'please' or 'thank you.'

In our everyday lives, being polite doesn’t cost us a thing. But when it comes to artificial intelligence, those friendly phrases are adding up to a massive bill.

Lots of people make a habit of being extra courteous to AI just in case, you know, machines take over someday. It seems many would rather play it safe and stay on their good side.

Well, turns out that being nice might be more expensive than we thought at least for OpenAI.

It all started when someone posted on Twitter, asking how much money OpenAI has burned through on electricity just from users tossing in ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ into their prompts.

Sam Altman, the company’s CEO, didn’t leave us hanging. He responded by saying those two words are costing OpenAI "tens of millions of dollars."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said it's costing millions Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Still, the 39-year-old tech boss wasn’t fazed. He said it was money “well spent”, and added: "You never know."

His answer sparked a whole bunch of jokes online, with many users saying they’re sticking with politeness just in case AI turns against us someday.

One person even shared that they always use polite language, just in case AI becomes sentient and breaks free. That way, they figure, at least the machines will know they were one of the kind humans.

Altman doesn't necessarily think it's a bad thing sama/X

Another user echoed the same sentiment: "I'd rather say please and thank you puts me in a good mood - frames the tone and who knows just in case it remembers I was nice to it."

Someone else chimed in, saying: "That isn't the cost of being polite, neither to humans nor to AI. We teach children to say 'thank you', 'please', not because it's efficient, but because it instills empathy, respect, and emotional awareness." And added: "Technically, skipping polite phrases every day could speed up lines, shorten conversations, and even save time and money at scale. But we still say them."

They finished by saying: "Why? Because human communication isn't just about utility, it's about connection. As AI becomes part of everyday interaction, how we speak (prompt) to it reflects our values. If we normalize blunt, transactional language for the sake of efficiency, we risk modeling a colder, less empathetic society."

A 2024 survey conducted by Future found that around 67 percent of Americans are polite when talking to AI tools like ChatGPT or smart speakers.

Interestingly, out of those polite users, 18 percent admitted they do it because they’re genuinely afraid of some kind of robot uprising. Meanwhile, the other 82 percent said they just think it's the right thing to do, even if they’re talking to a machine.

Among the third of people who aren’t polite to AI, about 40 percent said they just didn’t see the point. The rest said they prefer to keep their prompts short and efficient without extra fluff.

Most of us are apparently being polite out of fear Getty Images

As for the energy side of things, it’s pretty wild. A single ChatGPT request in 2023 reportedly used anywhere from 3.6 to 36 kilojoules of energy. Mashable India shared that AI models use about 17,000 times more electricity than an average American home.

Still, a lot of users say they’re not giving up their manners anytime soon.

One joked: "Nope, I won't stop being nice to my eventual overlords."

"Small price to pay for AI not murdering us later." said another.

"Exactly! If tossing in a 'please' keeps me off the robot hit list, I'll say it twice." a third chimed in.