Generation Z is getting nicer to ChatGPT and asking for things ‘please’ for a disturbing reason.

Sam Altman can already point fingers if he continues to think that every “thank you” to ChatGPT costs OpenAI a fortune. Because it’s not courtesy, or politeness, or empathy. It’s pure strategy.

A new study conducted by EduBirdie with Generation Z youth reveals that a good portion of them—and we’re talking 69%—politely approach artificial intelligence, not to be nice, but because of what might happen if the AI ​​​​ends up rising through the ranks and becomes their boss.

ChatGPT and Generation Z: The secret reason why they use “please” when asking for something
The idea may seem exaggerated, but for some, it’s rather cautious. According to the report’s data, one in ten young people welcome the idea that their superior will end up being a virtual agent. So it’s better to pave the way. How? By treating ChatGPT as if it already rules the office. “Please,” “thank you,” a conciliatory tone, so it can’t be said that they didn’t try from the beginning.

The interesting part comes when you dig a little deeper into the data. Although 55% believe AI will eventually take their jobs in less than a decade, and 40% are already considering changing jobs to avoid that scenario, there’s something even more striking: 180 of the 2,000 respondents directly want a virtual agent to take their boss’s place. The reason? They believe an artificial intelligence system could be more “human” than its current managers. A paradox as contemporary as it is disturbing.