AI etiquette debate grows as users question politeness to chatbots

The politeness paradox in human-AI interaction highlights deeper tensions about how we relate to technology. With Americans using courteous language with AI systems, the debate over whether to say “please” and “thank you” to chatbots reveals complex social dynamics about technological boundaries and efficiency. OpenAI‘s CEO even acknowledges that such politeness taxes their systems with unnecessary processing, creating financial and environmental costs many users never consider.

The politeness divide: Some users maintain rigid boundaries between humans and machines by deliberately avoiding courteous language with AI.

• The article’s author admits to never using pleasantries with ChatGPT, preferring a “no-frills approach” that distinguishes how they interact with technology versus humans.
• This stance challenges the assumption that how one treats AI reflects their real-world social behavior, suggesting instead that different contexts warrant different communication styles.

The financial reality: Unnecessary politeness with AI systems creates measurable business impacts for companies running these services.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated that users saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT costs the company millions in additional processing power.
• These extra words not only affect the business bottom line but also increase environmental impact through greater energy consumption.

The efficiency argument: Direct communication with AI may represent practical time management rather than rudeness.

• Many users avoid pleasantries with AI simply because they’re “in a hurry” and focused on getting results quickly.
• This approach treats AI interactions as tool use rather than simulated social exchanges.

The surprising statistics: Research reveals most Americans anthropomorphize AI through their communication patterns.

• A 2024 Future study found that 67% of US people are polite to AI systems, a percentage the author describes as “staggeringly high.”
• This widespread behavior suggests many users either unconsciously extend human social norms to machines or feel uncomfortable breaking these norms even with non-human entities.

The consciousness threshold: Some argue that politeness toward AI should be contingent on machine sentience rather than human habit.

• The author suggests they would start using “please” and “thank you” if ChatGPT ever reached a level of consciousness beyond today’s pattern-matching algorithms.
• This position frames AI politeness as a question of authentic respect rather than habitual behavior.