OpenAI Invests Millions in Polite User Interactions

OpenAI has invested tens of millions of dollars in responding to users who include “please” and “thank you” in their queries, according to the company’s CEO, Sam Altman.

tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know

— Sam Altman (@sama) April 16, 2025

The CEO’s statement sparked discussions about the necessity of “polite” interactions with AI bots. Some users noted they do so in case AI becomes sentient and begins interacting with humans based on past interactions.

When I talk to ChatGPT I end the convo with

“Thank you so much, I hope you have a good day! :)”

That way when ai enslaves humanity I won’t be turned into slave

One of the robots will step up when it’s my turn to get whipped

“Wait! I know him” and save me

— , (@Zvbear) March 28, 2025

“When I talk to ChatGPT, I end the conversation with ‘thank you so much, I hope you have a good day!’. That way, when AI enslaves humanity, I won’t become a slave. One of the robots will step up when it’s my turn to get whipped, [saying] ‘wait, I know him’ and save me,” wrote one user on X.

Developer Carl Youngblood noted that treating artificial intelligence well encourages its development.

Treating AIs with courtesy is a moral imperative for me. I do it out of self-interest. Callousness in our daily interactions causes our interpersonal skills to atrophy. https://t.co/fNZxeG6kjj

— Carl Youngblood (@cayblood) April 16, 2025

According to a survey by Future, 67% of Americans are polite to AI:

• 55% do so because “it’s the right thing to do”;
• 12% out of fear of future retribution by machines in case of an uprising.

Back in August 2024, research by the Bitcoin Policy Institute revealed that the energy consumption of AI likely already exceeds that of Bitcoin mining.

In December, Google and Microsoft planned to “green” the energy procurement process and cooling systems of data centers.