Being polite to ChatGPT is costing OpenAI millions — and CEO Sam Altman’s totally cool with it

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21 — Turns out your mum was right about minding your manners — even if you’re just talking to a chatbot.

OpenAI CEO and resident AI whisperer Sam Altman has confirmed that all those extra “pleases” and “thank yous” you’ve been throwing at ChatGPT are racking up quite the electricity bill.

How much exactly? Oh, just tens of millions of dollars. But don’t worry — he says it’s money well spent.

Altman was responding to a cheeky question on X (formerly Twitter) about whether all the polite chatter was draining OpenAI’s wallet.

His response? “Tens of millions of dollars well spent. You never know.”

tens of millions of dollars well spent--you never know

— Sam Altman (@sama) April 16, 2025

While it might seem a bit silly to say “thank you” to an algorithm, some folks in the AI design world think there’s real value in good chatbot manners.

Microsoft’s design manager Kurtis Beavers told Futurism that using courteous language actually helps the AI generate more respectful and collaborative replies.

And there’s method to the digital madness — today’s AI is basically a hyper-advanced version of your phone’s autocorrect, trained to predict and reflect your tone. So when you’re nice, it mirrors that vibe right back.

According to Microsoft’s WorkLab, polite prompts tend to get more professional, clear, and detailed responses.

A 2024 survey found that 67 per cent of Americans say they’re polite to their AI assistants. Most say it’s just good manners, though a cheeky 12 per cent admitted they’re doing it just in case of a Skynet-style uprising.

So, next time you’re chatting with your favourite AI, don’t forget to say please. It might be costing millions, but it’s keeping the robots happy. And hey — you never know.