OpenAI spends millions on keeping ChatGPT polite

OpenAI spends tens of millions of dollars each year to ensure ChatGPT uses polite language — with responses like “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome.”

That’s according to Tom’s Hardware, citing internal company sources. Despite the seemingly absurd cost of maintaining such phrasing, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes it’s justified: politeness makes interactions with AI feel more human.

Each brief thank-you response comes with measurable resource costs. As Tom’s Hardware reports, a single reply “costs” around 40–50 milliliters of water and contributes to the energy use of data centers. OpenAI has considered introducing templated responses to reduce overhead but worries this could make conversations feel less natural.

Researchers from OpenAI and MIT warn that treating AI like a real conversation partner could lead to emotional overdependence among users.

In effect, the cost of “politeness” is already factored into ChatGPT’s paid access. And while the AI has no feelings of its own, the company has no plans to drop its warm tone — at least for now.