AI Doesn’t Care if You’re Polite to It. You Should Be Anyway.

Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to a chatbot uses more electricity, but it’s worth it to cultivate the habit of gratitude.

Excerpt: "In reality, of course, AI chatbots do not appreciate politeness; they lack consciousness, feelings or a need for social niceties. AIs are designed to make us feel like we are interacting with a sentient being, but it is just that: a feeling. From a purely utilitarian standpoint, all those pleases and thank yous are just flushing money down the toilet.

Still, there may be value that isn’t immediately measurable in showing gratitude toward AI. In their book “The Psychology of Gratitude,” psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough write about a 10-week experiment they carried out called “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens.”

They divided participants into three groups, asking the first to list things they are grateful for, the second to list daily irritations and the third to just keep a journal. They found that the first group reported 25% higher happiness levels, showed stronger emotional resilience and were physically healthier."