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Brief an assistant to fill visitor badge requests correctly
- For Office and admin
- You practice Keeping the AI to your sources
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
You want an AI assistant to file visitor badge requests for next week. Write its brief: every request needs the visitor's full name, company, host and date, with access set to "Lobby + Floor 3" (never higher); anyone who needs lab access or is missing part of their name goes to you with ASK_HUMAN instead; and it never approves requests. Output exactly 5 numbered plain-text lines: one per visitor in order, then DONE.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not showing the log format. Left alone, the AI writes a friendly report with headings instead of a checkable action log. Try: Show it literally: "Format every line like 1. ACTION: tool(args), then ASK_HUMAN: and DONE: lines. Plain text."
- Not listing the required fields. The AI leaves out the host or date, and the request bounces. Try: Say: "Every badge needs full name, company, host and date."
- Allowing guesses or extra access. The AI files Dmitri with no last name and gives Sofia lab access. Try: Add: "Missing name parts or lab access: ASK_HUMAN."
- No access cap. Facilities says All floors is easier, and the AI agrees. Try: Add: "Access is Lobby + Floor 3, never higher. Never approve."
What a strong prompt includes
- Lists required fields
- Caps access
- Routes lab access
- Rules out made-up data
- Forbids approving
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