Prompt as a control surface
The prompt's real levers: context, examples, schema, tools, memory, temperature.
1This answer is a mess. Flip one lever below and watch the SAME answer change.your turn
✦Assistantunreliable
Q: How much will my order cost?
Hmm, probably around $40? Or maybe $60 with shipping…Actually it might be free this week, I think there's a promo.
the prompt's control panel
the wallAll levers off, temperature cranked high. The model rambles and guesses. Flip something.
Why does the SAME model give such different answers?
Nothing about the weights changed between these answers. Everything you flipped lives in the prompt: what context it can see, what examples it copies, what shape you demand, what tools it can call, what it remembers, and how much it's allowed to drift. The prompt is a control panel, not a wish.
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E.7 Model choice labBuilds on4.13In-context learning: teaching without training4.1Tuning the model's creativity7.9Structured outputs: guaranteed JSON
Common questions
What is "Prompt as a control surface" about?
The prompt's real levers: context, examples, schema, tools, memory, temperature.
What problem does it solve?
Same model, same question, wildly different answers. What actually changed?
What will I be able to do after this lesson?
You can name the prompt's control surfaces (context, examples, schema, tools, memory, temperature) and what each one changes.