Being Nice to AI? Yeah, It Actually Matters

Ever caught yourself saying "please" and "thank you" to ChatGPT? Nearly half of us do it, according to an informal survey by UPenn professor Ethan Mollick. And while it might seem a bit odd to be courteous to a machine, there's more to this trend than meets the eye.

Working with AI tools has become part of our daily routine, and research reveals a fascinating pattern: our interaction style with AI can significantly impact work results. Recent studies from Waseda University suggest that being polite to AI doesn't just feel right - it leads to better responses and more accurate results.

As Johns Hopkins researcher Nathan Bos explains, "AI gives out what you put in." This simple principle has profound implications for our daily work with AI tools. Let's look at how this plays out in real workplace scenarios:

When creating content:

• Harsh tone: "This content is terrible. Fix it."
• Result: Often pulls from confrontational sources, leading to defensive, critical responses
• Constructive tone: "Please help improve this content by enhancing its clarity."
• Result: Draws from professional sources, delivering more balanced, thoughtful improvements.

Google DeepMind's research reveals something even more interesting: supportive prompts, like those a patient teacher might use, significantly boost AI performance. For instance:

• Basic prompt: "Write an article about marketing"
• Result: Surface-level, generic content
• Supportive prompt: "Let's break this down step by step. Please create a comprehensive article about digital marketing strategies"
• Result: Detailed, well-structured content with clear examples and actionable insights

MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle puts it perfectly: being polite to AI is "a sign of respect" - not to the machine, but to ourselves. The habits we build in our digital interactions tend to spill over into our human ones.

Three quick insights worth considering:

1. Polite prompts often lead to more reliable information.

2. Clear, courteous requests help AI understand our needs better.

3. How we talk to AI today might shape how we communicate with our teams tomorrow.

The Broader Implications

As AI becomes more integrated into workplace tools and daily operations, these interaction patterns become increasingly important. Parents have already reported children adopting commanding tones from their interactions with virtual assistants, a warning sign for future workplace behavior.

Looking Ahead

Our daily interactions with AI are shaping the future of workplace communication. As these tools become more sophisticated and have human-like voices and expressions, the line between digital and human interaction continues to blur.

This isn't just about saying "please" to a chatbot. It's about maintaining our interpersonal skills in an increasingly digital workplace. After all, leadership and collaboration still run on human connection. The question isn't whether to be polite to AI - it's about understanding how our digital communication habits shape our professional relationships and workplace culture. As we navigate this new frontier, maintaining our humanity in digital interactions might be the key to better workplace relationships.