“Please” and “Thank You” Are Costing OpenAI Millions, Says Sam ...
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Unexpected Costs Due to Politeness
Tens of millions of dollars are seemingly well spent, but in the case of OpenAI, simple niceties like “thank you” and “please” have unexpectedly resulted in significant costs. The token-based system that fuels ChatGPT’s responses is at the core of this issue. In large language models like GPT-4, each word or character in a prompt is considered a "token." These tokens directly impact the computing power required to generate a response. Polite phrases add extra tokens to a query, leading to increased computational demands.
Implications on Server Load and Energy Consumption
ChatGPT serves over 350 million weekly active users, processing an estimated one billion queries daily. The inclusion of polite language by users, though well-intentioned, results in a small but impactful increase in prompt length. This increase has significant implications for server load, energy consumption, processing times, GPU usage, and overall infrastructure costs.
Environmental and Energy Impact
The environmental consequences of operating large-scale AI models are coming under increased scrutiny. Data centers require substantial energy not just for processing queries but also for cooling servers. Water-intensive cooling systems are often employed, adding to the energy demands.
Benefits of Politeness in AI Interaction
Surprisingly, users' courteous behavior towards AI is not merely a habit. Research indicates that 70% of users use polite language with AI, with 12% doing so as a precaution for a distant future where AI might become sentient. Politeness can influence generative AI models to produce more cooperative and nuanced responses, enhancing user experience, particularly in emotionally sensitive contexts.
Debates in the AI World
The tension between efficient system performance and human-like interaction in AI is evident. Balancing the reduction of compute loads by eliminating unnecessary words like “please” with maintaining engaging, conversational interactions poses a challenge for developers. The revelation has initiated discussions in the tech industry about the hidden costs of AI and the complexities of human-computer interaction.
Ethical and Design Considerations
The ethical and design implications of the costs associated with politeness in AI interactions are significant. Should AI platforms educate users to minimize resource usage, or adapt to human behavior even at the expense of efficiency? OpenAI, for now, seems inclined to prioritize natural, human-style communication over cost considerations.
Future Considerations
As user engagement and demand for AI tools grow globally, addressing the "cost of being nice" becomes crucial. OpenAI's decision to absorb these costs aligns with their mission to develop more useful and empathetic AI tools. However, the implications of politeness on resource usage raise questions for developers, investors, and policymakers alike.
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