A new study shows that 70% of users are polite to ChatGPT, but the reasons for this vary widely. While many do it out of habit, others fear potential consequences. Experts disagree on whether politeness towards AI influences our behavior or even improves technology.
This study is about: The survey (via techradar.com), conducted by Future in December 2024, surveyed over 1,000 individuals from the USA and the UK. It was found that politeness towards AI, such as ChatGPT, is no longer just an exception but has become normal for many.
What are the results?
- Habit and Decency: 82% of US users and 83% of UK users who are polite to AI find it simply “normal” to say “please” and “thank you,” regardless of whether they are speaking to a human or AI.
- Fear of AI Rebellion Consequences: About 18% of the surveyed US users and 17% of the UK users who are polite believe it may be important in the future to treat artificial intelligence with respect to avoid negative consequences.
- Improvement of AI Performance: Some users believe that polite requests lead to better and more helpful responses.
- Lack of Emotions in AIs: Around 30% of users see no reason for politeness as they believe that AI does not have emotions and that politeness is unnecessary.
- Efficiency and Time Saving: Others state they want to keep their interactions short and concise to save time. Additionally, they want to achieve more precise answers this way.
What do experts say about this? Expert opinions on politeness towards AI are divided. Some emphasize that politeness is important to promote respectful behavior in interpersonal interactions. They warn that disrespectful treatment of AI could also affect our social relationships. Another argument comes from the CASA paradigm, which states that we often treat machines like humans. Our brain does not differentiate between interacting with a human or an AI.
John-Anthony Disotto, an AI editor at TechRadar, viewed the topic somewhat skeptically. In his opinion, behavior may be largely related to fear. After all, science fiction films like “2001: A Space Odyssey” or “Terminator” have shaped the notion that AIs could someday take over.
ChatGPT Shows Flexibility
In response to our question, ChatGPT itself commented on the topic of politeness: “As an AI, I do not require politeness as I have no feelings or emotions. However, I find it interesting that people are often polite, even when speaking to a machine. It makes the interaction more pleasant for most and can, in some cases, actually lead to better outcomes, as polite requests are often framed more precisely.”
As we explore politeness and its impact on artificial intelligence, it also shows how far technology has advanced. Elon Musk officially stated that we have reached the limit in the area of training data. There are no more human data with which AI can be trained.
