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6d ago

ChatGPT Politeness Costs OpenAI Tens of Millions in Energy Expenses

Sam Altman defends the environmental and operational costs of user politeness as ChatGPT usage surges to 800 million weekly active users.

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Overview

  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that user politeness toward ChatGPT, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you,' adds tens of millions of dollars to the company's electricity costs annually.
  • The energy-intensive nature of AI responses is driven by large data centers, which consume significant electricity and water to power and cool the systems.
  • Altman stated that these costs are 'well spent,' as polite prompts are believed to improve the quality and tone of AI responses, according to design experts like Microsoft's Kurtis Beavers.
  • A 2024 survey found that 67% of Americans are polite to AI, with many citing ethical reasons or concerns about future AI behavior.
  • With ChatGPT now handling billions of queries daily, AI's environmental footprint is under scrutiny, as data centers already account for 2% of global electricity use, a figure expected to rise sharply.