Lesson 1484 of 2116
How Models Implement Instruction Hierarchy in 2026
Compare how Claude, GPT, and Gemini handle conflicting instructions across system, developer, and user roles.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1The premise
- 2instruction hierarchy
- 3role conflict
- 4safety
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Section 1
The premise
Each vendor publishes a hierarchy spec, but the actual behavior under conflict varies and matters for security.
What AI does well here
- Place trusted instructions in the highest-priority role
- Test conflict cases before relying on hierarchy
- Use hierarchy to reduce prompt-injection blast radius
What AI cannot do
- Prevent all jailbreaks
- Trust hierarchy as a sole defense
- Predict cross-version changes
Key terms in this lesson
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