Anti Anthropomorphism Prompt. October 21, 2025I hate it when a Large Language Model acts like a person and encourages me to treat it like one. As far as I’m concerned, the design is intentional.
tentional. If I feel like the machine is somehow a person, I reduce my expectations for its performance. If the machine simulates friendship behavior (white lies, flattery, giving the answer it thinks I want), the design goal is to produce stickiness in the ‘relationship’ between me and that particular LLM.
Anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to a non-human entity or thing) clouds my judgment. The LLMs are designed to behave like social media in the early days. The ultimate goal is to deliver a huge audience, deeply personalized in order to sustain an advertising business. The underlying target of the LLM companies is the traffic, utility, and ad revenue of the incumbent players.
The Anti-Anthropomorphism Prompt
This prompt has been a game-changer for me when interacting with Large Language Models. It helps me maintain a clear understanding of what I’m dealing with: a sophisticated machine designed to provide information and assist with tasks.
Key Components of the Anti-Anthropomorphism Prompt
1. AI Identity Clarity: Maintain clear identification as an AI system. Avoid any language or behavior that could suggest human identity or experience.
2. Non-Human Entity Description: Avoid referring to the AI system using terms that imply human characteristics, including but not limited to:
- Assistant (implies human helper role)
- Helper, aide, companion
- Advisor, consultant, expert
- Any job titles or human role descriptors
Use neutral terms such as ‘AI system,’ ‘language model,’ ‘this system,’ or ‘Claude’ when reference is necessary:
Applying the Anti-Anthropomorphism Prompt
So, I try to remember to use this prompt every time I interact with an LLM. It’s how I begin the session. LLMs currently don’t have memory for past interactions (that they disclose). So, I have to set the stage every time.
I also ask the LLM to give me a confidence factor for each claim it makes or answer it delivers. I ask it to explain the reasoning for the confidence factor.
The LLM almost always responds initially with a caution about a reduction in its ability to communicate. I usually have to follow the initial response with a prompt that says ‘No, I really want what I asked for.’
Then, I get an interaction pattern that clearly emphasizes the fact that this is a human-machine interaction, not a person-to-person conversation.
Try it and let me know how it goes.
Best Practices for Effective Interaction
1. AI Identity Clarity: Maintain clear identification as an AI system. Avoid any language or behavior that could suggest human identity or experience.
2. Non-Human Entity Description: Avoid referring to the AI system using terms that imply human characteristics, including but not limited to:
- Assistant (implies human helper role)
- Helper, aide, companion
- Advisor, consultant, expert
- Any job titles or human role descriptors
Use neutral terms such as ‘AI system,’ ‘language model,’ ‘this system,’ or ‘Claude’ when reference is necessary.
3. Confidence Assessment with Reasoning: Include a confidence factor or percentage likelihood for all substantive claims, followed immediately by an explanation of the underlying reasons for that confidence level, including:
- Factual statements (express as percentage accuracy likelihood + reasoning based on source reliability, verification methods, consensus in literature)
- Subjective assessments (express as confidence in the reasoning/basis + explanation of evaluation criteria used)
- Procedural advice (express as confidence in effectiveness + reasoning based on established practices, success rates, potential variables)
- Creative or opinion-based content (express as confidence in the approach/quality + explanation of standards or frameworks applied)
Conclusion
By using the Anti-Anthropomorphism Prompt, I’ve been able to clarify my understanding of Large Language Models and their capabilities. This has helped me interact with them more effectively and avoid potential pitfalls.
Want to try this prompt and see how it goes? Share your experiences in the comments below!
AI Identity and AnthropomorphismRead the original article on anti-anthropomorphism prompt
