When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman casually remarked that “saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ adds millions to OpenAI’s costs,” he may have been making a light comment. But the truth behind that comment cuts deep. In a digital world driven by algorithms and machine learning, empathy is no longer seen as a strength. It is an inefficiency.
Marginalized communities—particularly those with limited access to digital tools, lower levels of digital literacy, and weaker voices in public and policymaking discourse—stand to be adversely impacted by the removal of fact-checking.