Being Polite to AI Costs Millions, but I'll Keep Doing It Just in Case
1 min read
Summary
Chatbot company OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has let it be known that making AI chatbots respond politely to human queries is costing his company tens of millions of dollars.
The reason is that extra words in any dialogue use up extra energy in the form of GPUs required to power AI chatbots.
However, Altman also hinted that being polite to AI could reap dividends in the future.
One reason is that it is hoped that politeness will foster better interactions and a better user experience.
The other reason is that if AI does become self-aware and dominant, then human courtesy could be crucial at that stage.
Regardless, Altman thinks the expense is money well spent.
