Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Day 12/42: What Is a Prompt? (System vs User)
Yesterday, we saw how models learn *how* to behave.
Today, we talk about how you actually talk to them.
Everything you send to an LLM is part of a prompt.
But not all prompts are equal.
- The system prompt sets the rules and personality.
- The user prompt is your actual question or task.
Both are read together.
The system prompt says *how to answer*.
The user prompt says *what to answer*.
Once you see this split, prompt engineering suddenly makes sense.
Missed Day 11? Worth watching.
Tomorrow, we explain how models remember conversations: context windows.
I’m Louis-François, PhD dropout, now CTO & co-founder at Towards AI. Follow me for tomorrow’s no-BS AI roundup 🚀
#PromptEngineering #LLM #AIExplained #short
Day 12/42: What Is a Prompt? (System vs User)
Yesterday, we saw how models learn *how* to behave.
Today, we talk about how you actually talk to them.
Everything you send to an LLM is part of a prompt.
But not all prompts are equal.
- The system prompt sets the rules and personality.
- The user prompt is your actual question or task.
Both are read together.
The system prompt says *how to answer*.
The user prompt says *what to answer*.
Once you see this split, prompt engineering suddenly makes sense.
Missed Day 11? Worth watching.
Tomorrow, we explain how models remember conversations: context windows.
I’m Louis-François, PhD dropout, now CTO & co-founder at Towards AI. Follow me for tomorrow’s no-BS AI roundup 🚀
#PromptEngineering #LLM #AIExplained #short
