How Saying “Please” And “Thank You” To ChatGPT Costs OpenAI Millions
Saying please and thank you to ChatGPT may seem kind but it adds up to millions in power bills OpenAI has to pay every year.
Does saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to ChatGPT cost OpenAI millions?
ChatGPT gives such human-like answers that many people feel like they should say “please” and “thank you” while using it. But not many know that this polite behavior might be costing OpenAI millions in electricity bills.
You’re welcome. https://t.co/QAdDmTplaP pic.twitter.com/KkpxFTvA9j
— tomie (@tomieinlove) April 20, 2025
Recently, an X (formerly Twitter) user named @tomieinlove jokingly asked, “How much money has OpenAI spent on electricity because people say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to their models?” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman replied, also jokingly, “Tens of millions of dollars well spent.”
Even though it was a joke, but it shows a real issue – running AI like ChatGPT costs a lot, and this cost might affect users too.
How much does it cost to run ChatGPT?
Every time you ask ChatGPT to write an email, edit your bio, or answer a question, it uses a lot of computer power in the background. Tech expert Dylan Patel said that in 2023, running the older GPT-3 model cost around $700,000 per day.
Now with the new version, GPT-4o, the cost is probably even higher. And with new features like the image generator, the cost is increasing even more.
Why is it so expensive?
To give answers, ChatGPT uses many GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) inside large server farms. These GPUs use a lot of electricity. So even a simple “thank you” message uses energy.
These daily costs are called inference costs, and they are now even higher than the cost of training the AI in the beginning.
Is AI bad for the environment?
The International Energy Agency says that AI, data centers, and crypto mining together use about 2% of the world’s electricity, and this number could double by 2026. That’s about the same as a country like Japan.
A study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that training one large AI model creates more carbon than five average cars do in their whole lifetime. Also, companies like Microsoft use over 1.7 billion gallons of water in a year to keep their AI data centers cool, which is enough to fill about 2,500 Olympic swimming pools.
Who will pay for all this?
Now companies are thinking about how to cover this big cost. At first, they offered free AI tools. But now they are planning to earn money by offering paid features, putting limits on free users, or even showing ads.
OpenAI now has a ChatGPT Pro plan that costs $200 per month. It gives users access to advanced features like the video tool Sora. Free users still face limits, and even then ChatGPT sometimes slows down because of too much use.
There are also reports that OpenAI may start showing advertisements in the future to earn more money.
AI is getting smarter, but also more expensive. Saying “please” and “thank you” may feel right, but it adds to the power bill.
So, should we still say it? Or is politeness becoming costly in the digital world?
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