Here’s why you shouldn’t be too polite when chatting with ChatGPT – Boy Genius Report
Sign up for our daily newsletter
BGR’s team sends an AM subscriber-only newsletter with the top tech & entertainment stories at 9AM ET. Sign up to read it.
If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.
Do you remember the story about your politeness costing OpenAI millions of dollars? Did you know that it also negatively impacts the environment since you’re consuming more tokens, resulting in the servers consuming more water and energy? Well, these aren’t the only reasons why you shouldn’t mind your Ps and Qs when interacting with AI.
While you might be worried about Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot coming true, keep in mind that AI models can’t actually reason (at least not yet). Besides, there’s an even more compelling reason why you should avoid using certain words when talking to ChatGPT.
As noted by Tom’s Guide, there are some words that can undermine your ChatGPT prompts. The most dangerous ones are “Can” and “Could,” as they add uncertainty.
Previously, BGR helped you master your ChatGPT prompts. Some of the suggestions include being very descriptive and telling the AI model exactly what you want. “Can you list the current trends for the book market in 2025“ generates a completely different answer than when you simply tell ChatGPT to “list the current trends for the book market in 2025.”
Sign up for the most interesting tech & entertainment news out there.
Since ChatGPT is quite literal, modal auxiliary verbs like “can” and “could” will impact the AI’s responses. The uncertainty can make the AI less accurate, and the reverse is true when you imbue your prompt with certainty by simply issuing a command.
In addition to modal verbs like “can” and “could,” ChatGPT has also shared a list of helpful rules you should follow when formulating a prompt:
By using these tips when communicating with AI, your ChatGPT answers will be infinitely better. The AI model will understand what you’re trying to say, and you don’t even have to say thank you. Below, you’ll find even more tips to become a ChatGPT expert.
José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.
Sign up for the most interesting tech & entertainment news out there.
BGR’s audience craves our industry-leading insights on the latest in tech and entertainment, as well as our authoritative and expansive reviews.
We guide our loyal readers to some of the best products, latest trends, and most engaging stories with non-stop coverage, available across all major news platforms.
Founded in 2006
Over 2 billion visitors
100K+ articles published
Millions of readers helped
Honest news coverage, reviews, and opinions since 2006.
– Jonathan S. Geller, Founder
© 2024 BGR Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
