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I almost always say thanks to ChatGPT - but most people have sworn at AI chatbots at least once, survey finds

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Users switch between being rude and kind, often in the same conversation

Chatbot
(Image credit: Image Credit: Shutterstock)
  • Most people are polite to AI even when they’re frustrated, Tidio survey finds
  • Cursing at chatbots doesn’t stop people from saying thank you
  • Politeness toward AI feels normal even when the tech fails often

Are you someone who always says “please” and “thank you” to AI tools, or do you let rip when it doesn’t get what you mean or give you what you want?

New research has suggested users of AI chatbots can be both polite and rude, often in the same conversation.

A new report from Tidio found most people have cursed at a chatbot at least once, but that hasn’t stopped them from saying “thank you” afterward, highlighting the contradiction in how people interact with AI.

Avoiding AI chatbots

Nearly 70% of users admitted to swearing at chatbots out of frustration, but the service we’re getting from our future AI overlords can’t be that bad since 75% said they were satisfied with their most recent interaction.

Although people can be quick to vent when things don’t go their way (something human customer service workers know all too well), politeness still seems to be a habit people carry into conversations with AI, even when the experience isn’t totally smooth.

A previous Future study found 67% of Americans and 71% of Brits are nice to AI. That includes saying “please,” “thank you,” and even apologizing to digital assistants like ChatGPT or smart speakers.

It may sound silly, but some people say being respectful helps them get better answers. TechRadar’s Becca Caddy tested this by removing polite words from her prompts to ChatGPT and said the quality of responses dropped.

Even OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, weighed in on the cost of politeness. When asked how much it costs to power responses to polite prompts, he replied, “Tens of millions of dollars well spent.”

Although AI is now part of our daily lives, a good portion of people aren’t wholly convinced by it.

Around 30% of respondents to Tidio’s survey said they’d prefer to wait for a human even if a chatbot is ready to respond. And 26% said they’d rather trust a Magic 8-Ball than AI support.

Some users are even willing to pay to avoid it. About 11% would spend extra just to talk to a human.

Yet in practice, most people are prepared to use AI for help with basic tasks. The most common purposes include technical support, general questions, billing issues, and product information.

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Wayne Williams
Wayne Williams
Editor

Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.

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