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Interesting Solution to the Problem of Misguided Attention
So I've been fascinated by the problem of Misguided Attention for a few weeks. I am trying to build an inference algorithm to help LLMs address that issue; but in the process, I found a cool short-term fix I call "Mindful Attention" using just prompt-engineering.
Have you ever thought about how our brains filter reality through layers of past experiences, concepts, and mental images? For example, when you look at an oak tree, are you truly seeing that oak tree in all its unique details, or are you overlaying it with a generalized idea of "oak tree"? This phenomenon inspired the new approach.
LLMs often fall into a similar trap, hence the Misguided Attention problem. They process input not as itโs uniquely presented but through patterns and templates theyโve seen before. This leads to responses that can feel "off," like missing the point of a carefully crafted prompt or defaulting to familiar but irrelevant solutions.
I wanted to address this head-on by encouraging LLMs to slow down, focus, and engage directly with the inputโfree of assumptions. This is the core of the Mindful Attention Directive, a prompt designed to steer models away from over-generalization and back into the moment.
You can read more about the broader issue here: https://github.com/cpldcpu/MisguidedAttention
And if you want to try this mindful approach in action, check out the LLM Iโve set up for testing: https://hf.co/chat/assistant/677e7ebcb0f26b87340f032e. It works about 80% of the time to counteract these issues, and the results are pretty cool.
I'll add the Gist with the full prompt. I admit, it is quite verbose but it's the most effective one I have landed on yet. I am working on a smaller version that can be appended to any System Prompt to harness the Mindful Attention. Feel free to experiment to find a better version for the community!
Here is the Gist: https://gist.github.com/severian42/6dd96a94e546a38642278aeb4537cfb3
So I've been fascinated by the problem of Misguided Attention for a few weeks. I am trying to build an inference algorithm to help LLMs address that issue; but in the process, I found a cool short-term fix I call "Mindful Attention" using just prompt-engineering.
Have you ever thought about how our brains filter reality through layers of past experiences, concepts, and mental images? For example, when you look at an oak tree, are you truly seeing that oak tree in all its unique details, or are you overlaying it with a generalized idea of "oak tree"? This phenomenon inspired the new approach.
LLMs often fall into a similar trap, hence the Misguided Attention problem. They process input not as itโs uniquely presented but through patterns and templates theyโve seen before. This leads to responses that can feel "off," like missing the point of a carefully crafted prompt or defaulting to familiar but irrelevant solutions.
I wanted to address this head-on by encouraging LLMs to slow down, focus, and engage directly with the inputโfree of assumptions. This is the core of the Mindful Attention Directive, a prompt designed to steer models away from over-generalization and back into the moment.
You can read more about the broader issue here: https://github.com/cpldcpu/MisguidedAttention
And if you want to try this mindful approach in action, check out the LLM Iโve set up for testing: https://hf.co/chat/assistant/677e7ebcb0f26b87340f032e. It works about 80% of the time to counteract these issues, and the results are pretty cool.
I'll add the Gist with the full prompt. I admit, it is quite verbose but it's the most effective one I have landed on yet. I am working on a smaller version that can be appended to any System Prompt to harness the Mindful Attention. Feel free to experiment to find a better version for the community!
Here is the Gist: https://gist.github.com/severian42/6dd96a94e546a38642278aeb4537cfb3