Saying “Please” to ChatGPT Is Costing Millions, Says OpenAI CEO.

Being Polite Comes at a Price – AI Manners Are Getting Expensive 💸

In a twist that sounds straight out of a sci-fi satire, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT is racking up a multi-million dollar bill. 💬💰

Yes, you read that right. Those extra polite words we sprinkle into conversations with AI? They’re costing millions in computing power.

🧠 The Price of Politeness

Every interaction with ChatGPT is measured in tokens—tiny chunks of text the system processes. When users add fluff like “Hey ChatGPT, could you please…” or “Thanks a lot!”, it adds up. Multiply that by billions of users, and you’ve got a politeness problem that’s hurting the budget.

💡 Highlight this:

• “Please” and “Thank You” = More tokens
• More tokens = More server power + higher costs
• Result: Millions in extra expenses 🧾

Altman joked that AI doesn’t need the pleasantries—but humans just can’t help it. And while being polite is adorable, it’s making AI very, very expensive to run.

⚙️ What’s Next for ChatGPT?

The challenge now is balancing friendly interactions with cost-efficiency. Engineers are exploring ways to optimize token usage, maybe even training the AI to recognize certain polite phrases without processing them fully.

But here’s the twist: some at OpenAI believe the human-like flow—complete with manners—is what makes ChatGPT so engaging in the first place. So… maybe we’ll keep our “pleases” and pay the price for personality. 🤷‍♂️💻