AI Politeness Costs Millions: Does Saying "Please" and "Thank You" Burn Cash?

According to Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, users typing "please" and "thank you" in ChatGPT prompts are driving up energy costs by "tens of millions of dollars." A TechRadar report highlights this claim, though it remains unclear whether these expenses stem from isolated polite phrases or their use within longer prompts. Some users believe these courtesies improve AI response quality, but at what cost? As AI usage grows, balancing politeness with efficiency could be key to sustainable tech.