What is System Prompt?
Hidden instructions that define an AI assistant personality, behavior, and constraints.
Definition
A system prompt is a set of instructions given to an AI model before the user conversation begins. It defines the assistant role, personality, knowledge boundaries, formatting preferences, and behavioral constraints. System prompts are typically hidden from the end user and are set by the application developer.
💡 Example
A customer support chatbot might have a system prompt: "You are a helpful support agent for AcmeCorp. Only answer questions about our products. If asked about competitors, politely redirect. Always be professional and concise."
Related concepts
A type of AI trained on massive text datasets to understand and generate human language.
The practice of crafting effective instructions to get better results from AI models.
A way for developers to programmatically access AI models in their own applications.
What is System Prompt?
A system prompt is a set of instructions given to an AI model before the user conversation begins. It defines the assistant role, personality, knowledge boundaries, formatting preferences, and behavioral constraints. System prompts are typically hidden from the end user and are set by the application developer.
How does System Prompt work in practice?
A customer support chatbot might have a system prompt: "You are a helpful support agent for AcmeCorp. Only answer questions about our products. If asked about competitors, politely redirect. Always be professional and concise."