Lesson 692 of 1455
Negative Prompting and Constraints: Tell AI What to Skip
Sometimes the fastest way to get a good AI answer is to list what you don't want.
Builders · Prompting · ~24 min read
The big idea
AI loves clichés. It loves the words 'delve,' 'tapestry,' and 'in conclusion.' If you ban them up front, you save yourself a rewrite. Negative prompting is just listing what to avoid.
Some examples
- 'Write a poem about autumn. DO NOT use the words leaves, crisp, or pumpkin.'
- 'Summarize this article. No bullet points. No headers. Just one paragraph.'
- 'Help me brainstorm. Don't suggest anything I'd find on the first page of Google.'
- 'Edit this essay. Do not change my voice or add new arguments.'
Try it!
Ask AI to write a 3-sentence intro to a story you're working on. Then re-ask with 'Do not start with the weather, do not name the character yet, and do not use the word suddenly.' Compare.
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
8 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Lesson help
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