TMTPOST — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently raised a provocative argument, stating that polite language used by chatbots like ChatGPT—such as "please" and "thank you"—actually consumes significant electricity and computational resources. While many consider politeness toward AI a cultural norm or a way to enhance interaction quality, Altman pointed out that this practice inadvertently increases the system's workload. Each time a user employs courteous phrases, the chatbot must not only recognize and process these terms but also generate longer, more complex responses—all of which demand substantial computing power and energy. This observation highlights a growing tension between user experience and AI efficiency, as companies balance ethical design with sustainability concerns. OpenAI has not yet announced plans to modify ChatGPT’s response style, but the discussion may prompt reevaluation of how AI systems optimize resource usage.