Is It Rude to Let AI Answer For You? Digital Etiquette Debate Emerges
A renewed discussion about online etiquette is unfolding today, sparked by the continued popularity of tools designed to deflect questions with search engine or artificial intelligence responses.
Originally gaining traction in the 2010s, the website Let Me Google That For You allows users to create a link that, when clicked, visually demonstrates a Google search – essentially telling the questioner they could have easily found the answer themselves. The site has since expanded to include Let Me ChatGPT That For You, which performs the same function using AI-generated text. This practice, and the increasing use of direct AI responses, is raising concerns about respectful online communication.
Developer Alex Martsinovich recently articulated these concerns in a blog post, stating, “Be polite, and don’t send humans AI text.” He further clarified that AI output should only be shared if it’s presented as one’s own or with the recipient’s explicit consent. The core issue, experts say, is that responding to a question with AI output bypasses the human connection and the value of individual perspective, particularly in professional or personal contexts where specific input is sought. This shift in communication norms comes as AI tools become increasingly integrated into daily life, impacting how we interact and share information – a trend explored in detail by the Pew Research Center.
While using these tools can be a form of digital passive-aggression, many argue that it diminishes the potential for meaningful exchange and collaboration. The debate highlights a growing need for established guidelines surrounding AI etiquette, as the line between helpful automation and dismissive behavior becomes increasingly blurred. You can learn more about digital etiquette here.
Officials have not yet commented on the emerging debate, but experts anticipate further discussion as AI continues to evolve and permeate various aspects of communication.
Back in the 2010s, a website called Let Me Google That For You gained a notable amount of popularity for serving a single purpose: snark.
The site lets you generate a custom link that you can send somebody who asks you a question. When they click the link, it plays an animation of the process of typing a question into Google. The idea is to show the person asking the question how easy it would have been for them to just look up the answer themselves.
It’s an insult, basically. It’s funny and rude.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a little rudeness in the right context. If an openly hostile person is wasting your time on social media by asking easily researched questions, I think you should go ahead and enjoy a little passive aggression (as a treat).
In more personal contexts, though, using Let Me Google That For You states clearly that you don’t respect the person you gave the link to, and that their question is a waste of your time. If someone from your workplace or your personal life is asking you a question, it’s because they want your specific input, so it’s better to just give the answer—ideally with context only you can provide—than it is to send a link to a Google search results page.
Now, this being 2025, the people behind Let Me Google That For You also offer Let Me ChatGPT That For You, which works exactly the way you think it does. And its existence points to something new: how rude it is to, in response to a question, respond with AI output—especially in a more professional context.
Wasting Time
Telling someone to Google something can be funny and satisfying, but it’s not helpful. I’d put copy-pasting or screenshotting a conversation with ChatGPT, Claude, or any other AI agent in the same category: not helpful and kind of rude.
Developer Alex Martsinovich touched on this a while ago in a blog post called it’s rude to show AI output to people: “Be polite, and don’t send humans AI text,” he writes. “My own take on AI etiquette is that AI output can only be relayed if it’s either adopted as your own or there is explicit consent from the receiving party.” I think this is a pretty good framework for AI etiquette.
If someone asks you a question, when they could have asked the machine instead, it’s because they wanted your perspective. The internet exists, at least in theory, so that humans can connect with each other, and so that we can benefit from each other’s knowledge. Responding to a question with AI output ignores this dynamic, especially if you don’t say that’s what you’re doing.
