Definition
Plain language
Standing orders given to an AI before the conversation starts, telling it how to behave.
As stated in the literature
Privileged message placed above user turns in the instruction hierarchy, used to set persona, constraints, or handling rules; compliance with it is empirical rather than guaranteed.
Also called: system instructions
Why it matters: It is the main lever operators have for shaping a model's behavior, but since the model can drift from or be talked out of those orders, it is a guideline rather than a guarantee.
For example, a customer service bot may be told up front to answer only questions about shipping and always stay polite, before any customer types a word.
Heard on the show
“They tried a neutral system instruction saying just that: the image is a fixed placeholder, it carries no information, and the model should disregard it entirely.”Episode 277 — The Blank White Square That Swings AI Refusal Rates Fifty Points