OpenAI’s systematic method for prompt creation differs from Anthropic’s more human-like, chatbot-focused approach.
OpenAI has unveiled the meta-prompt for its new o1 model family, offering insights into its prompt system. This helps developers enhance and refine how their products connect with OpenAI’s expanding ecosystem of apps and websites.
The meta-prompt (which optimizes prompts) and system prompt (which conditions the model) work in the background, providing instructions that shape the AI’s behavior during interactions. Before users even engage, the meta-prompt has already guided the AI on key tasks, such as understanding the main goal, structuring responses, preserving original content, offering concise suggestions, and following clear reasoning steps before delivering conclusions.
According to OpenAI’s official platform guide, a meta-prompt directs the model to generate or refine a prompt based on a task description. The guide offers valuable technical insights, including example prompts, tips to boost accuracy, and a comprehensive prompt engineering guide to maximize the models’ performance.
This release follows shortly after Anthropic, a major competitor founded by former OpenAI employees, disclosed the system prompts for its chatbot, Claude. We previously provided an in-depth analysis of Claude’s prompt when it launched.
A story of two AIs
A closer look reveals two distinct approaches driving these AI giants, with each prompt reflecting how the companies think and their product goals. OpenAI designed ChatGPT as a robust computational tool, while Anthropic shaped Claude to function more as a human-like, friendly assistant.
Here’s a comparison of Anthropic and OpenAI:
Overall approach
OpenAI‘s prompts resemble a technical manual for a high-performance device, emphasizing efficiency, accuracy, and straightforward task completion. Their AI is intended as a tool, prioritizing results over casual conversation.
In contrast, Anthropic has designed Claude to function more like a knowledgeable friend. Their meta-prompt creates an AI with a unique personality, featuring quirks, interests, and a sense of humor. It’s evident that Anthropic aims for an AI capable of engaging in meaningful conversations rather than merely providing information.
Why this matters: If you’re looking to complete a task quickly and move on to the next item on your agenda, OpenAI appears to offer the more effective prompt for that purpose.
If you’re looking to interact with your model or create a collaborative environment with mutually beneficial outcomes, Claude might be the better option for you.
Guidelines for structure and formatting
OpenAI‘s approach is very systematic and organized. Its meta-prompt is divided into distinct sections, each containing precise guidelines for the AI’s various functions. It resembles a well-structured filing system, where everything is categorized properly.
Anthropic adopts a more narrative style. Its meta-prompt resembles a character description from a novel, providing detailed instructions on how Claude should act in different scenarios. It emphasizes creating a cohesive personality rather than adhering to a strict structure.
Regarding formatting, Claude utilizes XML tags, while OpenAI appears to have chosen a structured markdown format to distinguish between different sections.
Why this matters: Understanding how to segment and structure a prompt is crucial for achieving optimal results from the models. For instance, if you request a model to replicate a specific method to solve a problem and provide an example, properly tagging it will help the model recognize that you only want the steps reproduced and not the example to be viewed as part of the problem you’re addressing.
Awareness of the assistant’s capabilities and limitations
OpenAI maintains a straightforward, business-like approach to self-awareness. Its AI is directed to clearly communicate its capabilities and limitations without delving into philosophical inquiries about its nature or existence. ChatGPT is specifically designed to be an efficient tool that understands precisely what it can and cannot do, nothing more, nothing less.
In contrast, Anthropic has provided Claude with a more sophisticated sense of self. The meta-prompt contains guidelines on how to address questions about its own nature, its interactions, and even how to talk about its limitations.
For instance, Anthropic assigns emotions to Claude 3.5 Sonnet, prompting statements like, “It is happy to assist with writing, analysis, answering questions, math, coding, and various tasks.”
OpenAI adopts a straightforward approach: “Given a task description or an existing prompt, generate a detailed system prompt to effectively guide a language model in completing the task.”
Why this matters: This helps set realistic expectations for your interactions with each model. In general, Claude appears to be more friendly, while ChatGPT in its text version feels more mechanical.
Guidelines for reasoning and problem-solving
OpenAI’s meta prompt highlights a logical, step-by-step method for problem-solving. It directs the AI to deconstruct complex problems into manageable components and clearly illustrate its reasoning. This approach resembles that of a thorough scientist who meticulously documents every step of an experiment, especially evident when observing o1 in action, utilizing embedded Chain of Thought reasoning to tackle a problem.
“Encourage reasoning steps before reaching any conclusions,” states OpenAI’s prompt. “ATTENTION! If the user provides examples where reasoning occurs afterward, REVERSE the order! NEVER BEGIN EXAMPLES WITH CONCLUSIONS!”
And yes, the capitalization is included in the prompt.
Anthropic prompts Claude to “think out loud,” as it were. The meta prompt directs the AI to articulate its thought process, share insights throughout, and express uncertainty when necessary. This approach resembles a collaborative problem-solving session with a considerate colleague.
“When faced with a math problem, logic problem, or any issue that requires systematic thinking, Claude analyzes it step by step before providing its final answer,” states Claude’s prompt.
Why this matters: OpenAI appears to offer a superior prompt for tackling complex tasks that the user may be unsure how to approach. The Chain of Thought reasoning is more methodical compared to a basic thought process concealed by an XML tag. Additionally, recognizing when a model lacks complete certainty is essential for identifying hallucinations.
Guidelines for style and tone
OpenAI’s style guide prioritizes clarity and brevity. The meta prompt directs the AI to employ clear language, eliminate unnecessary details, and deliver information succinctly. It focuses on effective communication, akin to a straightforward news report.
Anthropic strives for a more conversational tone. Claude is guided to participate in a natural, fluid dialogue and incorporate humor when suitable. As a result, the model’s behavior and tone appear more friendly, to the extent that some users may find it irritating when it apologizes excessively.
Why this matters: This highlights why Claude’s tone is more suited for creative writing. While OpenAI’s new canvas mode may address this issue, Claude generally performs better because it is encouraged to be more natural and relatable than ChatGPT.
Refraining from self-reference
Both OpenAI and Anthropic emphasize minimizing unnecessary self-reference. Their meta prompts direct the AIs to refrain from highlighting themselves, ensuring that the focus remains on the task or conversation at hand.
OpenAI’s approach is more reactive. Their AI is directed to wait for explicit user prompts before taking action, similar to a well-trained assistant waiting for instructions.
Anthropic provides Claude with greater flexibility to be proactive. Their meta prompt permits the AI to offer additional information or suggest related topics, resembling an enthusiastic research assistant who is always prepared with extra insights.
Concluding Thoughts
Although OpenAI and Anthropic both aim to enhance AI-human interaction, their methods emphasize different priorities. OpenAI prioritizes task efficiency and precise prompt engineering, while Anthropic is dedicated to fostering human-like AI behavior and transparency. OpenAI’s meta-prompt focuses on producing effective, structured outputs, whereas Anthropic’s prompts aim to ensure responsible AI behavior and promote user engagement.
Both chatbots can effectively accomplish tasks. However, understanding each company’s philosophy and expectations for their models provides insight into what to anticipate from them and how to interact with their AIs more effectively.