Overview
The presenter explains why getting high-quality responses from ChatGPT-5 is trickier due to architectural changes and shares five practical techniques, sourced from OpenAI, to optimize prompt effectiveness and output quality.
Changes in GPT-5 Model Architecture
- GPT-5 consolidates multiple legacy models into three main versions, with routing handled automatically based on prompt context.
- Users no longer choose the model; instead, the system routes prompts and adjusts reasoning and verbosity settings.
- Prompt quality has a larger impact on results due to this routing approach, increasing the value gap between expert and novice users.
Trick 1: Use Trigger Words
- Adding trigger phrases like "think deeply," "double check your work," or "be extremely thorough" can prompt higher reasoning and more accurate responses.
- Using these words increases the likelihood of being routed to a more advanced model with greater reasoning capacity.
Trick 2: Prompt Optimizer Tool
- OpenAI provides a prompt optimizer tool (via platform.ai.com) that refines user prompts using best practices, focusing on removing vagueness and contradictions.
- The optimizer explains its improvements, enabling more precise and structured prompts for better AI results.
Trick 3: Importance of Specific Language
- GPT-5 closely follows instructions and can be confused by vague or contradictory prompts.
- Clear, specific language—detailing context, constraints, and goals—improves output quality and reduces overthinking by the model.
Trick 4: Structured Prompting with XML Tags
- Structuring prompts with XML-like tags (e.g., <context>, <task>, <format>) clarifies intent and sections for the AI, leading to improved comprehension and results.
- Users can request the AI to convert their prompt into this format for custom GPTs or projects.
Trick 5: AI Self-Reflection
- Instruct the AI to create a rubric based on user intent, evaluate its output against this rubric, and iterate internally for quality improvement.
- This self-critique approach ensures that only the best, refined response is delivered to the user.
Key Takeaways
- GPT-5 relies on prompt routing; users must optimize prompts for best results.
- Techniques include using trigger words, prompt optimization tools, specificity, structured formatting, and leveraging AI self-reflection.
- These strategies significantly enhance response quality from GPT-5.