Overcoming Generic AI Output: A Constraint-Based Prompting Strategy
Published:Jan 5, 2026 20:54
•1 min read
•r/ChatGPT
Analysis
The article highlights a common challenge in using LLMs: the tendency to produce generic, 'AI-ish' content. The proposed solution of specifying negative constraints (words/phrases to avoid) is a practical approach to steer the model away from the statistical center of its training data. This emphasizes the importance of prompt engineering beyond simple positive instructions.
Key Takeaways
- •ChatGPT outputs can sound generic due to the model gravitating towards the average of its training data.
- •Specifying words and phrases to avoid is more effective than general instructions like 'be more human'.
- •Detailed negative constraints help steer the model away from producing bland, corporate-sounding content.
Reference
“The actual problem is that when you don't give ChatGPT enough constraints, it gravitates toward the statistical center of its training data.”