Should We Speak Politely to AI? A Growing American Debate

Nearly half of Americans believe in treating AI with politeness, with 48% indicating that AI deserve courteous interactions. Gen Z stands out as being particularly polite, as 56% claim courtesy is their default style in communicating with digital assistants like ChatGPT and Siri. A survey by Talker Research highlights this view, revealing a strong inclination towards politeness, especially among the younger generations. It found that 68% of respondents who are polite towards AI simply feel it's their natural way to interact, while 29% extend manners to all entities, regardless of their human status. Interestingly, 39% think our behaviors toward artificial entities might impact future relations with technology.

However, there's a generational divide—politeness decreases from 52% among millennials to 44% among Gen X, and only 39% with boomers. A quarter of respondents approach AI communication more functionally, eschewing politeness, while 27% agree that it's permissible to be rude to AI as they "have no feelings." These insights expose not only a generational gap but also a split between genders; while roughly equal percentages of men and women think AI deserves manners, men are more inclined to justify rudeness (34% vs. 20%).

Despite this divide, it remains unclear how such attitudes might influence the development of AI or our relationships with technology, yet it's evident that for many, and especially among younger demographics, good manners are not confined merely to human interactions but extend into the digital sphere as well.

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