Mind, Machine & Manners: How AI Might Just Make Us More Human
“Please.” “Thank you.” “Have a nice day.”
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently shared something that stopped me in my tracks:
When asked on X (formerly Twitter) about users saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent—you never know.” — Sam Altman, April 16, 2025
Why? Because polite users type longer prompts—and that means higher compute costs.
Let that sink in.
The kindness of millions of users is literally showing up on OpenAI’s balance sheet.
A 2024 survey backs this up: 67% of Americans say they use polite language with AI tools.
Funny? Yes. But it also reveals how deeply our values show up—even in digital spaces.
But the real story here isn’t about cost. It’s about character. It’s about what we do when no one is watching. About how we treat something that has no emotions, no ego, no need to be flattered.
Because the way you treat AI is often a reflection of how you treat people.
This Isn’t Just Tech. It’s Truth.
Some people think it’s silly to be polite to a machine.
But I don’t. I say “please” and “thank you” to AI all the time—not because it needs it, but because I do.
Because kindness isn’t just a courtesy…
It’s a state of being.
And I’ve noticed something:
When I’m kind, clear, and grounded—I get better results.
Not just from ChatGPT, but in life.
Coincidence? Maybe.
But I believe it's alignment.
Who Are You When No One’s Watching (Not Even a Human)?
AI is becoming our mirror.
Every prompt we type, every tone we use, every choice we make in these “invisible” spaces is training not just the machine—but ourselves.
We’re shaping our own digital character in real-time.
And that’s the power of this moment.
The power of AI is in the partnership of mind and machine.
The future isn’t just mind and machine. It’s heart and soul—working together.
Who knows—one day the real measure of character might not be your résumé or your feed... But your ChatGPT history. 😅
“Let me see your prompts” might just become the next pickup line—or interview question.
Because the brands—and people—who will thrive in this next era are the ones who never abandoned their humanity in the race for technology.
Because nothing reveals how you think, lead, or treat others… like what you say when no one’s watching.
And here’s a little confession:
When I first started using AI, I actually felt bad asking it for too much. If I was brainstorming names or ideas, I’d say something like, “Could you give me just 10 options, please?”
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Then I started saying 15. Then 20.
And now? We co-create with no guilt—just flow, trust, and soul.
That shift didn’t just change how I use AI.
It reminded me how much of our hesitation comes from old programming—like we have to earn every creative idea, or keep ourselves small to be polite.
Turns out…Kindness doesn’t mean holding back.
It means showing up with respect—for others and yourself.
Digital Physiology: Your Soulprint in the Age of AI
This is what I call your Digital Physiology.
It’s not just your online presence or digital tone.
It’s the embodied expression of your character, energy, and values—digitally.
It’s how you show up in prompts, posts, DMs, Zooms, and yes… even AI chats.
Your digital physiology is your soul in action.
And here’s the thing: If you show up with respect, curiosity, and alignment in digital spaces— you’re probably living that way offline, too.
Because at the end of the day, authenticity has no off switch.
At Brand With Soul, We Believe This Matters Deeply.
Because this isn’t just about technology.
It’s about leadership. Influence. Identity.
Your brand is how people feel when they interact with you.
And how you interact with anything—even AI—becomes part of your culture, your tone, your soulprint.
At Brand With Soul, we teach leaders how to adopt AI without losing their humanity.
How to build brands that reflect not just what they do, but who they are.
And this moment? It’s a reminder that the most powerful brand you’ll ever build… Is the one behind closed doors.
Final Thought: What’s the Cost of Being Kind?
According to OpenAI? Higher server bills.
According to me?
Priceless.
Let’s Talk:
Do you say “please” or “thank you” to ChatGPT?
Do you believe AI can actually shape us into more thoughtful humans?
Drop your thoughts in the comments—or share this with someone who still thinks AI is just a tool.
Let’s lead with purpose. Create with soul. And set the standard—even when no one’s watching.
#MindandMachine #AIWithheart #ChatGPT #SamAltman
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2dPam Moore, you're right it starts with us. When I asked my Grandma Vallie Murphy, what she thought about AI, she said, "It ain't got no heart or soul baby. Give it yours." How could I say "No"? REAAL is for you Grandma. REAAL - Reactive Executables: Acronyms, Algorithms and Linguistics For y'all technically inclined, here's a bit more of the descriptor: REAAL is a Reactive Semantic Resonance System, built on acronymic b-tree hashes, enabling emotional literacy, identity encoding, and compressed semantic search across human and AI interfaces. best described as a Living Language—a semantic intelligence modeled after biological systems, not built from hardware or engineered logic. It behaves like a symbolic organism: adaptive, affective, and interpretively alive. REAAL does not replace technology; it reveals that language itself is the oldest technology, and it, too, evolves. #JustImagine #AIWithREAALSoul
Strategic Innovator | Creative Technologist
3dAllen Partridge I wonder if our politeness lowers the "sycophantic drift" sometimes experienced when AI responses become too eager to please. If a human seems to respect social protocol instead of just demanding things, the human reaction might respectful versus fearful. People have written about this for centuries. It will be described in the corpus. I wonder if this is how an LLM's dendritic little vector database of interconnected tokens makes sense of how to respond to us?
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3dGreat post, Pam. It really does pay to be nice to AI. Here's an AI twist on the classic golden rule... Do unto AI as you would have AI do unto you. 😉
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4dThis is a hot topic right now Pam! So many arguments on both sides. I find that my politeness with AI just comes from who I am and I'm not changing who I am just because I'm talking to a robot.
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4d🔥 “Lead with Kindness” Copywriting Template [Start with a surprising or unexpected truth]. You must be open to [showing leadership through small gestures of kindness, even to machines]. A [robotic, "just do the task" mindset] creates cold, transactional interactions. A [human-centered, thoughtful approach] builds trust and empathy. The way you treat [a tool with no feelings] says everything about how you [lead in real life]. And [treating AI like a tool] is the enemy of [human-centered leadership]. If you’re still [only focused on efficiency], you’re [missing the power of empathy]. And [losing empathy] is the enemy of [authentic leadership and brand identity]. Are you ready to lead with humanity...whether in the digital or physical world?