70% of Brits say please or thank you when speaking to AI, some even apologize

A survey by fonio.ai suggests that British users carry ordinary conversational manners into interactions with AI assistants. Seven in ten calls included “please” or “thank you,” and 55% of respondents said they thank an assistant at least once. More than half greet it with “hello,” “hi” or “good morning.” Other gestures are less common: 12% apologize, 13% say goodbye, and 7% offer a warmer farewell such as wishing the assistant a good day. Two percent even ask the AI how it is, treating the exchange much like a conversation with a person.

The findings frame these habits as evidence that voice technology is becoming a familiar part of daily life, rather than as a practical need for AI. Fonio.ai’s co-founder says people naturally apply the manners they use with other people, even when they know they are speaking to a machine. A separate Future PLC survey from February 2026, involving more than 1,000 people, also found that about 70% are polite to AI; 12% said they do so in case of a future robot uprising. The discussion also notes that polite prompts have a cost: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that saying “thank you” to AI consumes electricity and adds to operating expenses.