For all its advanced features, running AI is considerably expensive, necessitating extensive capital for the underlying hardware and power consumption. It turns out that engaging in casual conversation and polite exchanges leads to "tens of millions of dollars" in expenses for companies like OpenAI. Still, that company's CEO, Sam Altman, considers this investment worthwhile because even though these responses might seem insignificant, they make using AI a touch more humane.
Many of us use Artificial Intelligence daily, largely for seeking assistance, but a subset of users have formed a deeper connection and converse with it like they would a friend. I clearly recall being taught in the first grade, "Computers cannot feel," as one of the primary differences between man and machine. While AI cannot exercise emotions, its perceived human-like nature in these interactions instinctively makes us blurt out courtesies like "Thank You" and "Please."
Sam Altman acknowledges this and reports that ChatGPT costs the company tens of millions of dollars just generating responses to these prompts. Taken another way, recent report suggests that even a short three-word "You are welcome" response from an LLM uses up roughly 40-50 milliliters of water.
tens of millions of dollars well spent--you never knowApril 16, 2025
With that in mind, your amiability could be contributing somewhat to OpenAI's monthly expenditure. But the company is content with that. It should be possible for companies to pre-program their models to handle common and predictable responses, but that's easier said than done.
Researchers at OpenAI and MIT suggest that some people may become emotionally dependent or even addicted to AI chatbots. This is likely to become more pronounced as AI conversations become indiscernible from human ones. This will likely result in withdrawal symptoms, as is the case with any addiction. But maybe your "Thank you" is entirely sincere, if the bot has helped you out with, say, a complex mechanics problem or an upcoming quiz.
Besides, if you're a premium user, these replies are already part of the services you've paid for. As premium users are charged on a per-token basis, is their "Thank you" more genuine or more heartfelt than a free user's? This one's up for debate. And hey, if AI manages to go sentient someday, your good manners might just work in your favor.
