"Should People Be Polite To AI?"

"Should People Be Polite To AI?" is, unfortunately, a real question featured in the latest issue of Time For Kids. It is not an encouraging moment in juvenile journalism.

Each side gets two responses from actual young humans, aged 10-12. 

The yes votes? The first is based on the idea that being polite gets you better results. This is probably true for humans, but I have to question the 11-year-olds assertion that "...a person’s behavior influences AI’s responses. Using polite language in your prompts is a good idea. It can lead to better information with fewer errors."

The second yes starts with an unquestionable premise. "Our world needs more kindness." Therefor we should practice kindness, even to machines. So "... being polite to AI can help us become more thoughtful." Does it? Is it good thoughtfulness practice to reflect on our relationship with inanimate objects?

For the no's, we have a simple "AI doesn't have feelings." It's just a tool. The writer adds that too many polite words may confuse the AI and obscure the actual request. This 10-year-old reaches beyond the idea of politeness as simple "please" and "thank you" all the way to "mealy-mouthed." Don't ask AI "Please make some small tweaks in this paragraph" but just go ahead and say, "Rip the guts out of this and rebuild it to suck less."

The other "no" focuses on AI efficiency. Don't worry about politeness. "Just focus on being succinct." 

Being polite to living creatures is important. But being sensible about the use of AI holds more value than worrying about being polite to a machine. Let’s lead our lives with honesty and kindness. But let’s also focus on using technology for efficiency.

 Well, okay. But I have to ask-- why are we even asking this question at all? Would an editor have said, "Hey, let's ask kids if people should be polite to their toaster-oven." Should people be polite to their socks? Should you practice thoughtfulness by being polite to your screwdriver before you use it? Should you apologize if you decide to use it to pry something open instead of screwing a screw? Should you ask your front steps for their permission before you step on them? Should we have a chat with every single brick before we cement it into a permanent relationship with other bricks?

To even ask the question is to presume that a chatbot is a sentient entity. It is not. The correct answer is "This is a silly question," but the second best answer is, "Absolutely not, because we surely do not need to train young humans to think of this soulless word-extruding machine as a thinking, feeling being."