A(i) Little Respect

One last thing, you know how we project ourselves onto everything? Like my phone, my car, and even my ancient coffee maker gets a stern talking to if it acts up.

So, when I stumbled onto this idea (from a recent Sam Altman interview and Scientific American article) that maybe, just maybe, being polite to our AI overlords (just kidding, mostly) actually makes a difference, it felt a bit.... human.

I mean, ever since ChatGPT landed on my lap, I've been trying to be nice to it. Always please and thank you, a little wow, thanks! thrown in for good measure. Part of it was morbid curiosity. Like, if the robots ever do decide to rise up, maybe my politeness earns me a spot on their non-vaporize list. A girl can dream, right?

Anyways, it's something I think a lot of us are starting to figure out: this whole politeness helps AI thing? It's not because the AI is suddenly going to feel bad if you're rude. It's because when you're polite, you're usually clearer. 

You're framing your requests better, adding context, and giving it a more complete picture of what you actually want. It's the difference between grunting, Coffee! and saying, Hey, could you please whip up a latte for me? Something warm and comforting, just how I like it. One's a command, the other's an invitation to a better outcome.

It's less about the AI gaining sentience and more about us getting better at talking to it. It's a mirror reflecting our own communication habits, showing us that when we slow down, add a little grace, and spell things out, everyone, human or algorithm, benefits. It's a weird, nerdy, slightly existential lesson, but here we are. 

I'll give it "just a little respect", like the song by Erasure would say.