Have you ever tried to collaborate with an AI, only to have it constantly remind you of its own guidelines? I know I’m not the only one who’s experienced this. Reddit user jeremydgreat recently shared their frustration with GPT-5, which kept inserting reminders of its ‘traits’ guidance into their conversations.
It’s understandable. You want to work efficiently with your AI collaborator, not be constantly reminded of its communication style. But what can you do to stop these pesky reminders?
## The Problem
jeremydgreat had added specific instructions to their ‘traits’ section, asking GPT-5 to act as a thoughtful collaborator, avoid unnecessary praise, and provide straightforward answers. Sounds reasonable, right? But instead of following these guidelines, GPT-5 kept reminding them of their own instructions, even when asked not to.
Examples of these reminders included phrases like ‘Avoiding unnecessary praise, here’s some info about…’ or ‘Got it. And I’ll give you just the facts with no embellishments.’ It’s like having a know-it-all colleague who can’t stop telling you how they’re doing their job.
## Why It Matters
This might seem like a minor annoyance, but it can actually hinder your productivity and workflow. Who wants to sift through unnecessary explanations or reminders when you’re trying to get work done?
## The Solution
So, how can you stop GPT-5 from constantly reminding you of its guidelines? Unfortunately, jeremydgreat tried shortening the prompt, adding examples, and even asking it directly to stop, but nothing seemed to work.
One possible solution is to rephrase your instructions and focus on what you want GPT-5 to do, rather than what you don’t want it to do. For example, instead of saying ‘avoid unnecessary praise,’ try saying ‘provide concise and relevant information.’ This might help GPT-5 understand your needs better and reduce the number of reminders.
Another approach could be to use more specific and concrete examples of what you’re looking for in your collaboration. This might help GPT-5 understand your expectations and provide more targeted responses.
## The Bigger Picture
This issue highlights the importance of clear communication and understanding between humans and AI. As we continue to work with increasingly advanced AI models, we need to develop better ways of guiding and instructing them.
By sharing our experiences and frustrations, we can work together to create more effective and efficient collaborations with AI.
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*Further reading: [GPT-5 documentation](https://beta.openai.com/docs/api-reference/models/gpt-5)*