Unlock AI’s True Power with Better Prompts

OpenAI has released a new prompting guide that redefines how we interact with their reasoning models. If you’ve been using chain-of-thought (CoT) prompts to push AI toward better responses, it’s time to rethink your approach. This guide emphasizes simplicity, avoiding CoT when unnecessary, and leveraging delimiters effectively to refine outputs.

Here’s a breakdown of how OpenAI categorizes its models and an optimized prompt to have the AI match your writing style.

ChatGPT Models: Planners vs. Workhorses

OpenAI differentiates between two primary types of ChatGPT models:

🔹 o-Series (“The Planners”)

• Designed for deep reasoning and strategic planning
• Ideal for tasks requiring multi-step decision-making
• Best for expert-level fields like math, science, finance, and law
• Excels at reviewing, debugging, and improving code

🔹 GPT Series (“The Workhorses”)

• Optimized for speed and efficiency
• Excels at straightforward execution
• Best when cost and speed outweigh perfect accuracy

When to Use the o-Series