As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly woven into our daily work lives, from ChatGPT to virtual assistants like Siri, a growing body of research suggests that being polite to these digital helpers isn’t just good manners – it might actually help you get better results, says Tim Stackpool.
According to Dr Eduardo Benitez Sandoval, a social robotics researcher at Australia’s UNSW’s School of Art & Design, how we interact with AI systems can significantly impact their effectiveness and our experience using them. While it might seem strange to extend courtesy to a machine that lacks feelings or consciousness, there are practical benefits to maintaining professional etiquette in our digital interactions.
The benefits
When communicating politely with AI assistants, we tend to craft clearer, more precise requests. This increased clarity often leads to more detailed and helpful responses from the AI system. For office professionals who rely on these tools to streamline their workday, this means more accurate results and less time spent reformulating queries or correcting misunderstandings.
“When we’re polite, we can be sure in our prompts, and as a result, we might receive more detailed, understandable or helpful responses from our AI,” explains Dr Sandoval. This insight is particularly relevant for EAs and office managers who frequently use AI tools for scheduling, drafting correspondence or research tasks.
A little TLC
The principle isn’t entirely different from maintaining a well-functioning piece of office equipment. Just as we take care of our computers and printers through regular maintenance and careful handling, approaching AI systems with respect and clarity can help optimise their performance. While AI doesn’t have feelings to hurt, how we interact with it can affect its ability to serve our needs effectively.
Since AI systems are trained on human behaviour and continue learning from our interactions, maintaining professional courtesy helps establish and reinforce productive communication patterns. The large language models behind tools like ChatGPT and Siri are constantly being refined based on user interactions, making our current behaviour influential in shaping future AI responses.
Getting too close?
However, Dr Sandoval cautions that as AI becomes more sophisticated at mimicking human conversation patterns, there’s a risk of users developing overly dependent relationships with their virtual assistants. This concern highlights the importance of maintaining professional boundaries while working with AI tools – being polite but remembering that they are ultimately productivity tools, not colleagues.
The field of AI interaction is evolving rapidly, and no regulatory body currently provides broad oversight of social agent design. Dr Sandoval advocates for establishing expert panels to address ethical questions and guide decision-makers and users. This is particularly relevant for office professionals who often serve as early adopters and primary users of new AI technologies in the workplace.
For now, the evidence suggests that approaching AI assistants with professional courtesy can enhance their utility in the workplace. Simple practices like using clear language, maintaining a respectful tone, and crafting well-structured requests can lead to more efficient and productive interactions with AI tools.
This doesn’t mean we need to treat our AI assistants as human colleagues. Rather, we should approach them as sophisticated tools that respond best to clear, professional communication. For busy office professionals, this means that the same interpersonal skills that serve them well in human interactions can also help them get the most out of their AI assistants.
As AI continues to evolve and become more integrated into our daily work lives, maintaining professional etiquette in our digital interactions isn’t just about being polite – it’s about optimising our use of these increasingly important tools.
Also read: The AI advantage in the workplace | Executive PA Media
