Kicker: The price of politeness

NICK EICHER, HOST: They say good manners cost nothing—but is that always true? This is from an educational film for high-schoolers in the ’50s.

AUDIO: Yes, your manners are showing all day long … all along the way, your manners leave their mark.

When it comes to artificial intelligence—manners apparently are leaving a mark on AI companies’ energy bills!

AI requires enormous processing power, and that means enormous amounts of electricity.

And when people speak kindly to AI, AI’s programmed to return the favor.

AUDIO: “‘May I?’ ‘Please.’ ‘Thank you.’ These are words of respect, words that make day-to-day living go smoothly.”

Let’s tally it up: How much does OpenAI spend powering politeness? CEO Sam Altman puts the figure in the tens of millions—but says it’s money “well spent.” Before adding: “You never know.”

Whatever he meant, we could say kindness is never wasted, even when measured in kilowatt-hours.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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