OpenAI's Sean Grove presented a vision at the AI Engineer World's Fair 2025 to replace ineffective prompt engineering with structured specifications. Currently, developers discard prompts, focusing solely on generated outputs. This results in transient prompt instructions lacking a persistent record. In contrast, Grove advocates for documented specifications that capture intents and requirements, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on objectives. OpenAI's own model specification serves as a practical example, functioning as a living document for expected behaviors and including unique IDs for checks against model responses.
"We keep the generated code and delete the prompt ... like you shred the source and then very carefully version control the binary".
"A written specification effectively aligns humans on shared goals - it's the focal point for discussion, debate, and agreement."
"By making the spec the centerpiece, all stakeholders stay synchronized on what the AI should do and why."
"Every clause in the model spec has a unique ID and associated example prompts that serve as unit tests, ensuring that for each stated principle, the model's responses can be checked against it."
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