Feature request: Eco Mode / Energy-Efficient AI
I would like to suggest a feature that I believe would benefit both users and OpenAI.
Many users appreciate ChatGPT but also hesitate to use a large language model for very simple questions because they perceive it as unnecessarily resource-intensive. There is a growing awareness of the energy and computing costs of AI, and some users choose a traditional web search instead for this reason.
I suggest introducing an optional “Eco Mode” (or “Energy-Efficient Mode”) that prioritizes the least computationally intensive method capable of providing a high-quality answer.
For example, the system could automatically choose between:
- Direct lookup or web search for simple factual questions.
- A smaller language model for straightforward summarization, translation, or rewriting.
- A larger reasoning model only when deeper analysis, synthesis, or complex reasoning is actually required.
The goal would not be to reduce answer quality, but to optimize for:
- Lower energy consumption
- Lower infrastructure costs
- Faster response times
- Greater transparency and user choice
Many users would appreciate being able to select an environmentally conscious default behavior, in the same way that many digital products offer battery-saving or low-power modes.
I believe such a feature could become a competitive advantage by giving users explicit control over the trade-off between computational power and resource efficiency.
Thank you for considering this suggestion.
Johan