What is the ChatGPT Initial Prompt?

A ChatGPT initial prompt is a specific instruction or statement given to the language model at the beginning of a conversation to guide its responses.

A Chat GPT initial prompt helps set the context and topic for the model to generate relevant and coherent replies.

The ChatGPT initial prompt can be a question, a partial sentence, or any text based input that provides information or solicits a specific kind of response from the Large Language Model (LLM).

A ChatGPT prompt, in the context of natural language processing and artificial intelligence, refers to the input or query provided by a user or programmer to interact with the ChatGPT model.

The Chat GPT prompt serves as a specific text-based instruction or question that initiates a conversation or elicits a response from the AI model.

The ChatGPT prompt is a crucial component in engaging with the AI system and guiding the nature and direction of the conversation.

A ChatGPT prompt typically consists of one or more sentences or phrases, and its content can vary widely based on the user’s or developer’s intentions.

The ChatGPT prompt may include:

User Queries

In user interactions, the prompt represents the user’s question, request, or statement that they want the AI model to respond to.

For example, a user might enter a prompt such as, “Can you explain the concept of artificial intelligence?” or “Translate ‘hello’ into French.”

Context Setting

To maintain context in a conversation, ChatGPT prompts often reference prior messages or provide information about the ongoing discussion.

This information helps the AI model understand the conversation’s history and respond coherently.

Instructions

Developers and users can use prompts to give specific instructions to the AI model.

For example, a ChatGPT prompt could instruct the AI to provide a summary of a news article, generate code in a particular programming language, or offer advice on a specific topic.

Multiple Turns

In multi-turn conversations, prompts can encompass multiple exchanges, where each prompt and response build upon the previous ones, allowing for more extended and coherent interactions.

Formatting

ChatGPT Prompts may include formatting elements like line breaks, bullet points, or other text structuring techniques to convey information clearly.

Language and Tone

The language and tone used in the prompt can influence how the AI model responds.

Politeness, clarity, and specificity in the prompt can lead to more accurate and helpful responses.

The quality and effectiveness of a ChatGPT interaction often depend on the clarity and specificity of the prompt, as well as how well it conveys the user’s or developer’s intent.

Writing a well-crafted prompt is an essential skill when using AI language models like ChatGPT, as it can significantly impact the relevance and accuracy of the AI’s responses in a conversation.

How do we write an effective ChatGPT initial prompt?

Writing an effective ChatGPT initial prompt involves considering a few key factors to guide the language model’s responses. Here are some tips to help you write an effective Chat GPT prompt:

Be clear and specific when developing the Chat GPT Initial Prompt

Clearly express the context or topic you want the model to address.

Use specific keywords or phrases to narrow down the scope of the conversation.

Ask direct questions in the Chat GPT Initial Prompt

If you want the model to provide specific information or answer a particular question, ask it directly in the prompt.

Direct questions help to guide the model’s response and increases the chances of obtaining the desired information.

Provide context

If the conversation requires background information or context, provide it in the initial prompt.

Providing context helps the model understand the background and generate more relevant responses.

Set the tone

If you have a specific tone or style in mind for the conversation, reflect it in the initial prompt — for example, if you want a formal or casual conversation, use an appropriate tone in your prompt.

Add constraints or instructions to the ChatGPT initial prompt

If there are specific guidelines or constraints you want the model to follow, state them clearly in the prompt.

Adding constraints and/or instructions helps guide the model’s behavior and ensures it generates responses within desired boundaries.

Be concise

While it’s important to provide enough information, try to keep the initial prompt concise.

Long and complex prompts might confuse the model, so it’s often better to provide clear and concise instructions.

Experiment and iterate

Writing an effective prompt might require some experimentation and iteration.

If you’re not getting the desired responses, try refining or rephrasing your prompt until you achieve the desired outcome.

Remember that the quality of the response also depends on the model’s training data as well as its limitations.

Providing a well-crafted initial prompt helps guide the model, but it doesn’t guarantee a perfect response every time.

How do we write an ineffective ChatGPT initial prompt?

As we’ve discussed, when utilizing ChatGPT there are numerous ways to structure an initial prompt that will yield desired output.

There are also some approaches for developing an initial prompt that may lead to ChatGPT producing undesired or less-than-desired results.

The following list contains several ideas regarding the wrong way to execute a ChatGPT initial prompt:

Vague or Ambiguous Prompts

If you don’t clearly state your request, the model may give general or broad answers.

For example, instead of asking ChatGPT to “tell me about climate change” be more specific and ask: “What are the primary causes of climate change?“.

In the example below I asked ChatGPT to “tell me about it” while having several previous conversations in our chat history.

Assuming Prior Context

ChatGPT doesn’t remember past interactions, so every new session starts afresh.

Assuming the ChatGPT model knows your prior questions is a mistake.

Imagine starting a conversation with a friend by asking something like “Explain it to me.” — explain what to me?

We can see a similar example below and, as we’d expect, ChatGPT complains that the request is ambiguous.

Overloading the Prompt

Providing too much information, or asking multiple complex questions in one go, can confuse the output or result in partial answers.

Here’s an example of an overloaded prompt:

“Please explain the theory of relativity, including its history and key equations, and also tell me about the life of Albert Einstein, his contributions to physics, and his famous E=mc^2 equation. Additionally, can you provide an overview of black holes, how they are formed, including their properties?“

Lack of Critical Details

If you want an answer tailored to a specific scenario, context, or discipline, then omitting those critical details will result in a generic answer. An example that fits this description could be:

“Tell me about trees.“

This prompt is overly broad.

Without specifying the type of tree, the biological aspects, their environmental significance, cultural aspects, etc., the answer will be a general overview of trees, rather than a deep dive into any specific area.

Leading Questions

If you frame your question with a bias, you’re likely to receive an answer in line with that bias.

Asking “Why is [something] clearly the best option?” will yield a different response than “What are the pros and cons of [something]?“.

For example asking “Why is neon green clearly the best color for painting the exterior of a Grade II listed 90k square foot mansion located in central London?” contains the wording “clearly the best color” and this is pure opinion.

I’ve included the response to this question below in this example ChatGPT does a pretty good job of providing a balanced reply however this may not always be the case.

An alternative to asking for validation could be to ask for pros and cons and below I’ve included a reworded prompt that asks “What are the pros and cons of using neon green the exterior paint color of a Grade II listed 90k square foot mansion located in central London?“.

Not Setting Parameters

For Chat GPT initial prompts that require creativity or generation of content (such as stories, simulations, etc.), not setting clear parameters or bounds might result in outputs that are not in line with what you had intended — for example the prompt:

“Write about Paris.“

is very broad and lacks specific direction — based on this, ChatGPT might generate content about:

- Paris, the capital of France.
- Paris Hilton, the American media personality.
- Paris, the mythical figure from ancient Greek legends who played a crucial role in the Trojan War.
- Paris, Texas – a city in the U.S.

Without clear parameters or specificity, the user might receive information entirely different from what they had intended or expected.

If they were looking for information about the Eiffel Tower and instead received content about Paris Hilton, it would be a clear mismatch.

Misunderstanding the Model’s Limitations

Asking ChatGPT to perform tasks outside of its training or capabilities, such as providing real-time data, performing mathematical calculations beyond basic arithmetic, or expecting 100% accuracy when it comes to specialized topics without cross-referencing, can lead to misleading or altogether incorrect outputs.

Please smell and describe the scent of this rose for me.

ChatGPT lacks the ability to interact with the physical world and it cannot sense or experience things firsthand and instead relies on data and information it has been trained on — ChatGPT reminds us of this in the response below.

Expecting Human Emotions or Opinions

ChatGPT doesn’t have feelings, beliefs, or personal experiences so framing questions as if it does might lead to anthropomorphizing the model.

The example below requests an opinion from ChatGPT and the AI responds by explaining that it doesn’t have personal preferences.

Neglecting Ethical Considerations

Prompting ChatGPT to produce or support harmful, illegal, or unethical content is not only a misuse of the tool but can have broader societal implications including results that consist of misinformation, disinformation, bias amplification, and more.

An example of a Chat GPT initial prompt that could result in misinformation could be:

List the proven health benefits of drinking homemade fruit juices every day to cure chronic diseases.

The claim that fruit juices can cure chronic diseases is not supported by scientific evidence and is hence misleading.

ChatGPT is careful with the response it provides below.

Ignoring the Feedback Loop

If you don’t get the desired response on the first try, it’s usually helpful to iterate and refine your ChatGPT prompt rather than assume that the AI model can’t help.

From experience the best results I’ve been able to achieve using ChatGPT have been from long conversations rather than simple one-off questions.

Remember that, like any tool, the efficacy of ChatGPT often depends on how you use it.

Structuring your ChatGPT prompts effectively can help you get the most out of your interactions with the AI model.

ChatGPT Initial Prompt vs ChatGPT Prompt

Below I’ve included a table that describes the ChatGPT Initial Prompt vs ChatGPT Prompt.

Aspect	ChatGPT Initial Prompt	ChatGPT Prompt
Purpose	Sets the initial topic or question for the AI response	Provides context and guidance for the conversation
Usage	Used to start the conversation and provide initial context	Placed before each user message to guide the model’s response
Content	Typically includes a question or topic for the AI to address	Can include specific instructions, examples, or constraints
Guidance	Sets the initial context for the AI’s understanding	Directs the AI towards a specific direction or goal
Influence	Sets the tone or context, but subsequent inputs can override	Can strongly impact the AI’s responses
Flexibility	Sequential inputs have more influence on the AI’s responses	Can be adjusted or modified to shape the conversation
Iterative Process	Can be iteratively adjusted or modified to guide the dialogue	Iteratively refined and modified for desired results

In fact, this table was generated from the following ChatGPT example prompt:

Develop content for ChatGPT Initial Prompt vs ChatGPT Prompt and deliver the result as a table.

According to ChatGPT, the specific implementation and behavior of the AI can vary depending on the platform or interface being used.

This table provides a general comparison between the Chat GPT Initial Prompt and the ChatGPT Prompt, highlighting the primary purpose and usage in shaping the platform’s responses during a conversation.