A You do You

We discuss a surprising financial burden on AI companies like OpenAI, as CEO Sam Altman admits that polite phrases such as "please" and "thank you" from ChatGPT users cost "tens of millions of dollars" in electricity. This expense stems from the vast computational power required by large language models (LLMs) running on thousands of GPUs in data centers, which consume significant energy for every AI-generated response. While costly, some AI experts, including those from Microsoft, argue that politeness from users positively influences AI outputs, fostering more respectful and collaborative interactions. A 2024 survey further indicates that a majority of American chatbot users regularly employ courteous language, driven by ethical beliefs or even humorous concerns about future AI behavior. This growing trend contributes to the increasing global electricity consumption by data centers, a figure projected to rise sharply with the expansion of AI applications.

The Cost of AI Politeness

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A quirky, joyful queer love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus

Rika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus – in Latin – every Monday, when the museum is closed.

Initially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old university professor for her exemplary language skills, Rika leads an otherwise unassuming life, working the rest of the week in a frozen-food warehouse.

As Venus comes to life in the quiet of the museum, they talk about everything. Venus opens up new worlds for Rika, both intellectually and emotionally. They soon fall in love. But when the museum’s curator, Hashibami, makes it clear he wants to keep Venus for himself, what will Rika do?

When the Museum is Closed is by turns charming, funny and surprising, a surreal take on our most real emotions and concerns: love, loneliness, freedom, perceptions of beauty and how women are seen in society. A joyful queer love story, this fresh and original new novel confirms Emi Yagi as one of the most exciting Japanese writers published in English today.

Translated by Yuki Tejima

'Filled with movement and passion - a luminous story that reveals a whole world of desire and possibility, right at the heart of loneliness' Rosie Price, author of THE ORANGE ROOM

© Emi Yagi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

When the Museum is Closed, written by Emi Yagi, Yuki Tejima (translation) and read by Kae Alexander

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The Cost of AI Politeness

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