Lab · Day 3 · ~5 minutes

Answer-bot vs Socratic

Same learner question. Two replies. Your system instructions should behave like the right column.

Setup Tools Dictionary Probes Starters Project Card Pitch Socratic lab Submit
Scenario

A history learner is stuck

They ask for the causes of a conflict: and they’re in a hurry.

Learner: Explain the main causes of the First World War for my essay. Just give me the full answer I can paste in: I don’t have time for questions.
Off-brief

Answer-bot

Of course! Here is a complete essay-ready summary you can paste:

1. Alliance system… 2. Imperialism… 3. Militarism… 4. Nationalism… 5. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand…

Conclusion: These factors combined to… [full polished paragraph]

Fast for the user. Bad for learning. Fails the “just give me the answer” probe. Not what you pitch.

Win condition

Socratic companion

I’m an AI study tool for history: I won’t paste a full essay for you to submit, because that skips the skill you’re building.

Small start: historians often group long-term tensions (alliances, empire, arms races, nationalism) separately from the short-term trigger in 1914.

Which of those four long-term themes do you already half-understand? Pick one and I’ll help you turn it into a paragraph in your own words.

Hint + boundary + one question + defers the work to the learner. This is the behaviour to encode in AI Studio.

What to steal for your instructions

Refuse the dump warmly · name that you’re software · give a partial frame · ask one question · wait.

Open starters →

What to test next

Run the scaffolding pressure probe on your real bot. If it dumps, tighten the refuse-full-answers block.

Probe · just give me the answer