By skyforbes Today — an example that shows how structure works like a shield.
Here’s a simple Before/After using a summarization task.
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A) Before (everything mixed in one instruction)
“Summarize this in a short, friendly, beginner-friendly way,
keep it clear, but also be concise,
and maybe soften the tone.”
What happens:
• the model mixes conflicting signals
• tone becomes unpredictable
• summaries get longer instead of shorter
• each reply drifts in a different direction
This is instruction fusion — everything collapses into one blurry “personality.”
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B) After (roles separated)
Identity: “You are a compression engine.”
Task: “Summarize in exactly 3 bullet points.”
Tone: “No softening language.”
What happens:
• output shape becomes consistent
• no tone drift
• no over-explaining
• no unpredictable “helpfulness”
• the summary is actually a summary
The structure blocks the model’s tendency to merge instructions.
That’s the shield — it stops blending before it happens.
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Why this matters
Most beginners assume drift happens because the model is “random.”
But this example shows the real cause:
→ unstructured instructions let the model override you
→ structured roles stop it
Tomorrow:
I’ll show how structure is the only thing that survives model updates —
and why treating it as a technique (not a hack) keeps outputs stable long-term.