“Thank you” or “please” to Chatgpt? It’s very high … but it would consume too much energy. At least according to Sam Altman, the boss of Openai, who believes that these polite words would make his company’s energy (and financial) invoice increase. And therefore its impact on the planet. Enough to trigger an existential mini-drama in users.
Indeed, the longer an AI request is longer in characters, the more it requires computing power in order to be treated. This could instinctively encourage to be as concise as possible, even if it means omitting the “magic words” that our parents and the school have always taught us. “It makes me think: how much energy is we cramped with formulas just because they are socially expected?” Asks a reader.
Psychologist Christian Fichter puts the scope of the debate. According to him, the ecological panic linked to digital politeness is largely exaggerated. “Yes, the data centers consume a lot, but no, a few more words will not melt the glaciers. The impact of a “thank you” or a “please” is negligible. “
-And beyond consumption, it is the human component that the specialist wishes to defend. Courtesy, he explains, is a deeply rooted reflex, which should be continued to apply even with non-human entities. “We don’t say” thank you “for the machine, but because that’s what we are. A form of education to oneself. If we spend our day giving dry orders to an AI, it will necessarily detect on our way of speaking to humans, “he concludes. So: thank you, the psychologist!
Too nice, chatgpt changes your
A recent version of Chatgpt, called GPT-4O, could give upright answers. The chatbot systematically congratulated its users, including when they offered absurd, even dangerous ideas. Deemed too flattering, submissive and disturbing, it was quickly removed by Openai. The developer explains that this excessively kind tone could disrupt user confidence, and now plans more options to personalize the character of AI.
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