UK government tells staff not to thank AI: 'You don't need to say thank you'

The UK government's draft guidance on using AI ethically and sustainably tells civil servants to skip pleasantries like 'thank you' when prompting AI, since extra tokens mean higher costs and environmental impact. It also advises checking outputs for accuracy and bias and using simpler tools when possible.

• Guidance is part of a draft on 'using AI ethically and sustainably'
• Staff are told to keep prompts short and use as few as possible
• Outputs should be checked for accuracy and bias
• Civil servants remain responsible for AI-generated work