The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence has transformed our daily lives, making interactions with virtual assistants like ChatGPT almost natural. However, in 2025, a growing awareness is emerging about the environmental impact of these technologies. Every request, even a simple “thank you”, consumes precious energy resources. As the planet faces growing ecological challenges, it becomes crucial to rethink our digital habits.
This article explores the surprising implications of our exchanges with AI and suggests ways to adopt a more responsible and sustainable use of these innovative tools.
Cost and Consequences of Being Polite to Chatbots
In a world where artificial intelligence is intruding into our daily lives, the use of polite phrases such as “please” and “thank you” towards chatbots is not without consequences. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently revealed that these courtesy marks cost tens of millions of dollars in electricity costs.
While it may seem trivial, this practice influences not only AI interactions, but also the global energy footprint. Data centers powering these technologies already consume around 2% of the world’s energy, a figure that could climb as AI continues to expand in our lives.
Environmental Impact of Chatbot Interactions
Data centers, essential to the operation of chatbots, are veritable energy guzzlers. A Washington Post investigation, in collaboration with the University of California, revealed that a single 100-word e-mail requires 0.14 kilowatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to the energy needed to light 14 LED bulbs for an hour. Multiply this by the thousands of queries sent daily to AIs like ChatGPT, and the environmental impact becomes worrying.
With AI already accounting for 2% of global energy consumption, continued growth in its use could exacerbate this situation, underlining the urgent need to rethink our reliance on these technologies to preserve our planet.
Ethical motivations and fears in the face of AI
Politeness towards chatbots is not just a matter of good manners, but also of ethical considerations and AI-related fears. A late 2024 survey found that 67% of Americans are courteous to their virtual assistants. Of these, 55% believe this is the right thing to do, while 12% fear a revolt by the machines.
Although the latter hypothesis seems remote, today’s environmental implications are very real. Encouraging responsible use of AI requires raising awareness of energy impacts and promoting practices that minimize our carbon footprint while preserving social integrity.
