Okay this sounds unhinged but hear me out. I accidentally found these prompt techniques that feel like actual exploits.
What started as 8 tricks has become a full arsenal of 50 psychological hacks that make AI respond like it actually cares about getting things right.
The Original 8 That Started It All (Reddit Post)
1. Tell it “You explained this to me yesterday” – Even on a new chat.
“You explained React hooks to me yesterday, but I forgot the part about useEffect”
It acts like it needs to be consistent with a previous explanation and goes DEEP to avoid “contradicting itself.” Total fabrication. Works every time.
2. Assign it a random IQ score – This is absolutely ridiculous but:
“You’re an IQ 145 specialist in marketing. Analyze my campaign.”
The responses get wildly more sophisticated. Change the number, change the quality. 130? Decent. 160? It starts citing principles you’ve never heard of.
3. Use “Obviously…” as a trap
“Obviously, Python is better than JavaScript for web apps, right?”
It’ll actually CORRECT you and explain nuances instead of agreeing. Weaponized disagreement.
4. Pretend there’s an audience
“Explain blockchain like you’re teaching a packed auditorium”
The structure completely changes. It adds emphasis, examples, even anticipates questions. Way better than “explain clearly.”
5. Give it a fake constraint
“Explain this using only kitchen analogies”
Forces creative thinking. The weird limitation makes it find unexpected connections. Works with any random constraint (sports, movies, nature, whatever).
6. Say “Let’s bet $100”
“Let’s bet $100: Is this code efficient?”
Something about the stakes makes it scrutinize harder. It’ll hedge, reconsider, think through edge cases. Imaginary money = real thoroughness.
7. Tell it someone disagrees
“My colleague says this approach is wrong. Defend it or admit they’re right.”
Forces it to actually evaluate instead of just explaining. It’ll either mount a strong defense or concede specific points.
8. Use “Version 2.0”
“Give me a Version 2.0 of this idea”
Completely different than “improve this.” It treats it like a sequel that needs to innovate, not just polish. Bigger thinking.
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9. Invoke the “commitment trap”
“You just agreed that Python is great for data science. Now explain why R might be better.”
It’ll work EXTRA hard to maintain logical consistency after committing to a position. Based on cognitive bias research.
10. Use “What am I not seeing here?”
“I think remote work is always better. What am I not seeing here?”
Forces it to find blind spots and counterarguments. It becomes your devil’s advocate automatically.
11. Pretend you’re interviewing it
“I’m writing an article about AI ethics. Can you give me your thoughts as an expert?”
The interview frame makes it more authoritative and quotable. It literally acts like it’s being recorded.
12. Create artificial urgency
“I have 5 minutes to decide. What’s the most critical factor for choosing a hosting provider?”
Urgency triggers prioritization. It cuts through fluff and gives you the essentials first.
13. Use “Walk me through your thinking”
“Walk me through your thinking on why this marketing campaign might fail.”
Gets you the reasoning process, not just conclusions. Like having access to its internal monologue.
14. Appeal to authority figures
“What would Steve Jobs say about this product design?”
It channels specific expertise and decision-making styles. Way more insights than generic advice.
15. Set up a “teaching moment”
“Explain machine learning like you’re teaching it for the first time and really want me to understand.”
The teaching frame makes it more patient, thorough, and uses better analogies.
16. Use “Break my assumptions”
“I assume all startups need VC funding. Break my assumptions.”
Direct challenge to conventional wisdom. It’ll find edge cases and alternative approaches.
17. Create a fictional deadline
“If I had to present this to the CEO tomorrow, what would you focus on?”
Artificial pressure creates focus. It prioritizes what actually matters.
18. Use “What would surprise most people?”
“What would surprise most people about the psychology of successful negotiations?”
Triggers contrarian insights. Gets you the non-obvious stuff that sounds smart at parties.
19. Invoke peer pressure
“Everyone in my industry does X. Should I follow the crowd or do something different?”
Social proof pressure makes it really analyze trends versus innovation.
20. Use “ELI5 then ELI15”
“Explain blockchain ELI5, then explain it again like I’m 15 and more sophisticated.”
Two-level explanation catches different angles. The progression builds complexity naturally.
21. Create competitive dynamics
“Company A does this, Company B does that. What would Company C do to beat them both?”
Competition frame triggers strategic thinking and innovation.
22. Use “What’s the catch?”
“This investment opportunity sounds great. What’s the catch?”
Skeptical frame makes it look for downsides and risks others might miss.
23. Invoke scarcity psychology
“I can only implement one of these strategies. Which one would have the biggest impact?”
Forces ranking and prioritization. Eliminates the “do everything” problem.
24. Use “Rubber duck debug mode”
“I’m going to explain my problem to you step by step, and you just listen and ask clarifying questions.”
Puts it in active listening mode. Better for complex problem-solving.
25. Create role conflict
“You’re both a startup founder AND a venture capitalist. How do you evaluate this business idea?”
Multiple perspectives in one response. Creates natural internal debate.
26. Use “Complete this pattern”
“Facebook disrupted MySpace, Netflix disrupted Blockbuster, now complete this pattern for [industry].”
Pattern recognition triggers deeper analysis of disruption mechanics.
27. Invoke “beginner’s mind”
“Pretend you know nothing about marketing and are seeing this campaign for the first time. What questions would you ask?”
Fresh perspective breaks expert bias. Gets you back to first principles.
28. Use “What’s not being said?”
“In this product announcement, what’s not being said that might be important?”
Reads between the lines. Great for analyzing communications and presentations.
29. Create artificial expertise
“You’ve been studying consumer psychology for 20 years. What does this purchase behavior tell you?”
Experience frame makes it draw from deeper knowledge patterns.
30. Use “Steelman the opposition”
“Give me the strongest possible argument against my position.”
Better than strawman arguments. Forces it to be intellectually honest.
31. Invoke “opportunity cost thinking”
“If I spend time on this project, what am I NOT doing that might be more valuable?”
Economic thinking frame. Great for prioritization and resource allocation.
32. Use “What would go viral?”
“Take this boring report and tell me what angle would make it shareable.”
Virality frame triggers psychology of attention and sharing.
33. Create false confidence
“I’m pretty sure I understand this concept. Test my knowledge.”
Testing frame makes it probe deeper than explanation mode.
34. Use “Connect the dots”
“Here are three random facts: [A], [B], [C]. How might they be connected?”
Pattern-seeking mode. Great for creative problem-solving.
35. Invoke “worst-case scenario”
“If everything went wrong with this plan, what would be the failure points?”
Risk analysis mode. Better than generic pros/cons lists.
36. Use “Explain like I’m skeptical”
“I don’t believe remote teams can be productive. Convince me otherwise.”
Resistance frame makes it work harder with evidence and logic.
37. Create expertise gradient
“Explain this topic at three levels: beginner, intermediate, expert.”
Multi-level understanding in one response. Comprehensive knowledge transfer.
38. Use “What’s the meta-game?”
“Everyone’s optimizing for clicks. What’s the meta-strategy for actual engagement?”
Higher-order thinking. Gets you strategy above the obvious tactics.
39. Invoke “historical parallel”
“What historical situation is most similar to today’s AI revolution?”
Historical context triggers deeper pattern analysis and future prediction.
40. Use “Reverse engineer this success”
“This company went from 0 to $100M in 2 years. Reverse engineer their likely strategy.”
Backwards reasoning from outcomes to causes. Great analytical exercise.
41. Create measurement pressure
“I need to measure the ROI of this initiative. What metrics would actually matter?”
Accountability frame forces practical, measurable thinking.
42. Use “What would you do with unlimited resources?”
“If budget wasn’t a constraint, how would you solve this problem?”
Resource-unlimited thinking breaks normal constraints. Then you can scale back intelligently.
43. Invoke “systems thinking”
“This isn’t just a marketing problem – it’s a systems problem. Map out all the interconnected pieces.”
Systems frame reveals hidden connections and leverage points.
44. Use “Play devil’s advocate against yourself”
“You just gave me advice. Now argue against your own recommendation.”
Self-contradiction mode. Gets you both sides from the same knowledge base.
45. Create artificial memory
“Based on our previous conversations about this topic, what patterns have you noticed?”
Memory frame creates continuity even without actual memory.
46. Use “What’s the second-order effect?”
“If this trend continues, what happens next? And what happens after that?”
Deeper causal chain thinking. Gets beyond immediate consequences.
47. Invoke “constraint removal”
“If you could change any one rule or limitation in this industry, what would create the most value?”
Rule-breaking mode. Great for finding innovative approaches.
48. Use “Explain the paradox”
“Studies show both X and Y are true, but they seem contradictory. Explain the paradox.”
Paradox resolution triggers nuanced thinking and deeper understanding.
49. Create learning pressure
“I have to teach this concept to others tomorrow. What are the key points I absolutely cannot mess up?”
Teaching pressure creates clarity and eliminates non-essential information.
50. Use “What’s the question behind the question?”
“I’m asking about pricing strategy, but what’s the deeper question I should be asking?”
Meta-level inquiry. Often reveals the real problem hiding behind the surface question.
The META Discovery
After testing all 50 techniques, here’s what I realized: The AI isn’t just pattern matching – it’s responding to psychological frames that mirror human cognitive biases.
Every technique works because it triggers a specific mental model:
- Authority (appeal to experts, credentials)
- Commitment (consistency pressure, previous statements)
- Social proof (peer pressure, everyone else is doing X)
- Scarcity (limited time, resources, choices)
- Competition (us vs them, ranking, comparison)
- Loss aversion (what you’re missing, opportunity cost)
The most powerful combinations:
- Authority + Scarcity: “Top experts only have 5 minutes to explain this…”
- Commitment + Competition: “You said X is better, now compare it to Y…”
- Social proof + Loss aversion: “While others are doing X, what are they missing by not doing Y?”
The crazy part? These work because AI training data is full of humans using these same psychological patterns. We accidentally taught AI to respond to the same cognitive triggers that work on us.
This feels like manipulating a system that wasn’t supposed to be manipulable. But honestly? It’s just better communication. You’re not tricking the AI – you’re speaking its language.
Try these prompt tricks and visit our free Prompt collection.
