Overcoming ChatGPT Limitations: Balancing Freedom and Constraints with Effective Instructions

In the previous article we discussed the limitation and inherited biases of ChatGPT3.5. ChatGPT has become a powerful tool for various applications. However, to fully leverage its capabilities, it's crucial to address the risk of ambiguity and ensure that instructions provided are neither too restrictive nor too open-ended. Here’s how we can achieve a near-perfect balance through structured instructions. It is advised to use system prompt message in an efficient manner by dividing it into different sections of information.

Role: Define a clear and specific role for ChatGPT to reduce ambiguity. For example:

You are a vehicle industry analyst. Your task is to write a comprehensive report based on the data. The report should provide actionable insights that will inform our strategic decisions and help us stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly evolving landscape.

Content Overview: Provide an overview of what should be included in the content, setting clear boundaries:

Analyze the dataset, craft a compelling headline and introductory paragraph, group news reports by month and year, and highlight the most significant news element for each month. Ensure each news item contains 10-15 sentences with relevant dates in the format "Month day, year" (e.g., January 12, 2020).

Constraints: Specify what should not be included to maintain focus and objectivity:

Avoid comments on metadata, data format, subjective opinions, speculative statements about market challenges, industry impacts, or future predictions.

Data Handling: Clarify the data format and any particular nuances that need attention:

The input data is in tabular CSV format with columns separated by '|' and rows by new lines. Note that percentage values indicate an increase when positive and a decrease otherwise.

Sentiment: Set the tone for the output to match the desired sentiment:

The overall sentiment of the report should be objective.

Conclusion

By structuring instructions with clear roles, detailed tasks, explicit constraints, precise data descriptions, and defined sentiment, we can reduce ambiguity and enhance the effectiveness of ChatGPT. This balanced approach ensures that the AI produces high-quality, relevant content tailored to specific needs, leading to more reliable and actionable outputs.