UK government wants people to be rude to AI: ‘You don’t need to say thank you’
The UK government has issued guidance reminding its employees that they do not need to adopt polite behaviors when interacting with artificial intelligence systems, explicitly stating there is no need to say “thank you” when AI produces output. This straightforward advice is part of the government’s draft guidelines on “using AI ethically and sustainably,” designed as a starting point to support government employees navigating AI adoption.
The government’s position clarifies an important distinction: politeness protocols are unnecessary because AI systems are fundamentally not sentient or conscious entities. However, the practical reasoning underlying these guidelines extends beyond philosophical concerns. The guidance emphasizes that AI systems are expensive to operate and carry significant environmental costs. By encouraging employees to interact with AI in purely functional, efficient ways without social niceties, the government aims to promote responsible resource use and environmental sustainability.
These draft guidelines represent a pragmatic approach to AI implementation in the public sector, focusing on efficient use of expensive computational resources. The government frames this as part of broader ethical AI practices—recognizing that wasteful interactions with AI, even polite ones, consume energy and resources that could be better allocated elsewhere. This guidance reflects emerging thinking about how large organizations should approach AI integration, balancing practical concerns about cost and environmental impact with acknowledgment of AI’s limitations.