Polite ChatGPT Prompts: Do 'Please' and 'Thank You' Really Waste Energy?

Online discussions suggest that skipping words like “please” and “thank you” in ChatGPT prompts could save energy, and even help the planet. The reasoning sounds logical, longer prompts mean more text, more processing and more power. But is everyday politeness really driving AI’s carbon footprint? (Image-AI)

Tech

N

News18•18-01-2026, 12:02

Polite ChatGPT Prompts: Do 'Please' and 'Thank You' Really Waste Energy?

•Online discussions suggest polite prompts (using 'please', 'thank you') might increase AI energy consumption due to longer text and more processing.
•OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted that every extra token adds to operating costs at a massive scale, fueling claims about energy waste.
•In reality, the energy consumed by a few extra words in a prompt is negligible compared to the vast power requirements of data centers.
•AI queries involve fresh computations (inferences) for each response, making AI an energy-intensive infrastructure.
•Experts emphasize that focusing on polite prompts distracts from critical issues like data center location, energy/water management, and AI's overall environmental footprint.

Why It Matters: Polite words in ChatGPT prompts have a negligible energy impact; focus should be on data center sustainability.

Read Full Article on News18 in English

✦

More like this

Loading more articles...