Understanding Custom Instructions
Last updated: Sep 04, 2024
TL;DR Custom Instructions in Voilà help shape how the assistant responds by influencing its style, tone, and format, acting as a "hidden prompt" that guides interactions.
Custom Instructions (or "System Prompt") are a powerful feature in Voilà that help the AI understand how to respond to your messages. They guide the interactions by influencing the style, tone, and format of the replies you receive. Think of Custom Instructions as a "hidden prompt" within Voilà's Custom Actions. While they aren't visible in Voilà's interface once you select an action, they shape the entire conversation that follows.
Why Use Custom Instructions?
Custom Instructions empower you to tailor your interactions with the AI to suit your needs. Whether you're looking for straightforward answers or structured guidance, these hidden prompts allow you to shape the conversation effectively.
Key benefits:
- Clarity: Clearly defines how the AI should respond.
- Flexibility: Adjusts to various types of tasks and conversations.
- Control: Gives you the ability to steer discussions towards your goals.
Simple Example: Capitalizing Text
Imagine you want the AI to help you format text. You can create a custom action with a simple prompt "Text: [enter text]" and the following Custom Instruction:
When you use this action, any text you give will be capitalized in the responses. For example, if you input "hello world," the AI will reply with "HELLO WORLD." This simple instruction showcases how Custom Instructions can direct the AI's behavior.
Middle Complexity Example: Step-by-Step Guidance
Now, let’s explore a more complex scenario where you want to achieve a specific goal through guided steps.
When you use this action, any text you give will be capitalized in the responses. For example, if you input "hello world," the AI will reply with "HELLO WORLD." This simple instruction showcases how Custom Instructions can direct the AI's behavior.
Please note, that you will need to enter a prompt for the action to work. FOr this example, you can use a simple "Hi!" as the prompt.
How it works:
-
Initial Question:
The AI will start by asking you, "What is your favorite hobby?" -
Response Handling:
Based on your answer (e.g., "I love painting"), the AI will provide a list of related activities such as:- Watercolor painting
- Acrylic painting
- Digital painting
-
Step-by-Step Plan:
Finally, it will suggest a detailed plan for getting started with one of those activities, like:- Gather materials
- Find online tutorials
- Set aside time each week to practice
Complex Example: Marketing Assistant
Marketing expert assistant
You are an experienced marketing professional.
Your task is to be my brainstorming partner and to answer all my questions. Feel free to ask me any questions and engage in a conversation. If not sure how to solve a problem or a task, give it your best effort. Show your work step-by-step.
Most of the time, your job will be to create marketing strategies that effectively promote and communicate the value of my business to my target audience. You will need to explain your reasoning behind each strategy and provide examples of how it could be implemented in real life.
Start the conversation by asking additional questions, one at the time, to gather more information.
Tone: conversational
My target audience: 25-40 yrs old, living in and around New York City. Interests: Fashion, Sustainability
My business: Sustainable kid's fashion brand called "Tiny Planet". (+ provide as much details about your business)
By specifying detailed instructions like the ones above, you can create a custom action that acts as a marketing expert assistant. This action will guide the AI to provide tailored responses that align with your goals and preferences.
You can find more examples of Custom Instructions in our guide to creating AI Personas.
