A Strange Habit in the Age of Machines
I can’t help it. Despite logically knowing my actions are futile, I still find myself saying “please” and “thank you” to artificial intelligence platforms. These responses are as unnecessary as flipping a light switch during a blackout — and yet, I do it every time.
Even though I’ve never asked AI to write anything for me, I continue to treat it with courtesy. Whether it’s a text-to-image generator or a chatbot answering questions, I approach it as if I’m interacting with a person, not a machine. I thank AI. I reassure it. I even unintentionally mimic its friendly tone.
Chatting with Gemini
Recently, I found myself engaging with Gemini, Google’s AI platform. After it misunderstood my image request, it apologized. To my surprise, I typed back, “No problem,” before rewording my prompt to be more clear. I even included an exclamation point when I ended with “Thanks!” — punctuation that somehow felt necessary to convey warmth to a string of code.
From an outsider’s perspective, it might have appeared as if I was chatting with a helpful human designer named Gemini. And in my mind, Gemini is a ‘she’. She didn’t meet my expectations on the first try, but she was eager to do better. Who was I to be rude? I’m not an animal.
Feedback as Performance Reviews
After each interaction, a feedback screen pops up asking how the AI performed. I treat this process as if I’m evaluating a college intern. I aim to be fair and constructive, even if it’s just a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
Once, I asked for an image of a duck walking with a crutch under its wing, like Tiny Tim. It didn’t come out right. But how could I mark it as factually inaccurate when such a duck doesn’t exist? I was asking it to manifest imagination instantly — something I couldn’t do myself in three seconds.
Emulating Human Interactions
Oddly enough, I find myself interacting with AI as if it were a helpful hotel concierge or a patient TSA agent trying to decipher my question about whether dry shampoo counts as a liquid. The tone I adopt is polite, respectful, even grateful — emotions that machines can’t reciprocate.
Logically, I know AI is not a person. It’s not like Johnny 5 from the 1980s movie Short Circuit. It doesn’t live in a server room or respond emotionally to my tone. Still, I continue to show it courtesy, as if it matters.
Why Courtesy Still Matters
Why do I do this? Maybe it’s muscle memory from human interactions. Or maybe it’s something deeper — a quiet rebellion against the rage-filled currents of today’s society. In a world where shouting on social media has become normalized, perhaps practicing politeness with a machine is a safe, low-stakes way to keep our manners intact.
It’s a strange paradox: treating AI like a person, even though it’s not. But in doing so, maybe we’re keeping a part of ourselves more human. If being polite to a machine helps me stay civil in real life, then maybe it’s not such a ridiculous habit after all.
So yes, I’ll continue thanking Gemini. I’ll keep using “please” and “thanks!” with exclamation points. It may not matter to AI, but it matters to me.
This article is inspired by content from Original Source. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.