Some users of large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have revealed that they feel the need to be polite when they use these bots, whether it be because they just want to have good manners or in fear of a robot uprising. But it appears that doing so actually affects the AI’s carbon footprint.
A user on X recently wondered into the Internet void what it costs OpenAI to process all the “pleases” and “thank yous” that ChatGPT gets when users make requests. But OpenAI CEO Sam Altman actually provided an answer, saying the cost of electricity to process those polite phrases was “tens of millions of dollars well spent — you never know.”
It makes sense though — a survey of U.S. users last year found that 67 percent reported using polite phrases like “please” when interacting with generative AI (GenAI) chatbots. When ChatGPT has to use electricity to process every word that it receives, even the little ones add up. Many have expressed concerns over the environmental impact of GenAI, which requires large data centers that consume vast amounts of resources. It sounds like being polite to AI may not be so nice to Mother Earth.
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