By Richard Morris
Publication Date: 2026-01-14 23:23:00
Take the words “please” and “thank you” out of your next ChatGPT request, and if you believe some of the stuff on the internet, you might think you’re helping save the planet.
The idea sounds plausible because AI systems process text incrementally: longer prompts require slightly more computing power and therefore use more energy. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has admitted that this adds billions of dollars in operating costs.
At the same time, it is a stretch to claim that polite use of ChatGPT carries significant environmental costs. The effect of a few additional words is negligible compared to the energy required to run the underlying data center infrastructure.
What is perhaps more important is the persistence of the idea. This suggests that many people already feel that AI is not as insignificant as it seems. It’s worth taking this instinct seriously.
Artificial intelligence relies on large data centers based on high-density computing…
