Learn about LLM

Mode Collapse

Yelling at an LLM because it gave you the same unwanted answer for the third time?
It’s not being stubborn. It’s mode collapse.

What is “mode collapse” in this context?
During training, certain patterns got rewarded so heavily that they became the model’s default path. The model isn’t consciously choosing them – it’s falling into the same high-probability outputs again and again.

Why does the model keep repeating the same kind of answer?
Because similar input types activate the same dominant pattern, so the model routes to the same output style by default.

Getting angry doesn’t work, What actually works to break the pattern?

Three practical moves:

  • Explicitly ban the pattern: forbid the repeating words or approach.
  • Force a format change: require a new structure that can’t fit the old pattern.
  • Redirect the task: ask for concrete actions instead of vague qualities.

How can Prism Prompting help here?
You can use the Prism Prompting Framework guide – upload it to your LLM project and instruct the model to use it. The guide is optimized to be read by LLMs.

What’s another option if you don’t want to manage this manually?
Try Prism at ask-y.ai, where specialized agents handle attention and pattern management for you.

(0:01) Ever been angry at an AI because it keeps giving you the same useless answer? (0:08) Today we're talking mode collapse and gold star words. (0:13) But first, if you want to skip these headaches, visit ask-y.ai and try Prism. (0:22) Marcus needs a gift for his brother who just moved into his new house.(0:26) List three kitchen gadgets under $100. (0:30) Format, item, price only. (0:32) Air Fryer $99.99 (0:34) Stand Mixer $89.99 (0:37) Knife Set $94.99 (0:40) What's good about the Air Fryer? (0:43) The Air Fryer offers excellent versatility with outstanding results.(0:48) What's good about the Stand Mixer? (0:51) The Stand Mixer provides great performance with reliable functionality. (0:56) What's good about the Knife Set? (0:58) The Knife Set delivers superior quality with dependable craftsmanship. (1:03) Marcus started to feel suspicious of the Floofies.(1:06) It felt like they were just being lazy. (1:09) The answers all had a pattern. (1:11) They were following the same formula.(1:13) Item, offers, provides, delivers, excellent, great, superior, feature, outstanding, reliable, dependable. (1:18) Stop being lazy! (1:20) Marcus started feeling angry. (1:22) Give me real answers, not this generic nonsense.(1:26) I apologize for any frustration. (1:29) The Air Fryer provides excellent cooking capabilities with outstanding ease of use. (1:34) The Floofies weren't being lazy.(1:36) They were picking the words that got the most gold stars during training. (1:40) During the great training, certain words got rewarded repeatedly for product descriptions. (1:45) Excellent, outstanding, great, reliable, superior.(1:50) These words scored so high, they won every time like reindeer always flying to the North Pole, no matter where they started. (1:58) This is called mode collapse. (2:01) Training made some words winners.(2:03) Now Floofies can't stop choosing them. (2:06) Marcus tried something different. (2:08) Describe what the Air Fryer does, not how good it is.(2:12) The Air Fryer cooks food at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, using 75% less oil than traditional frying. (2:20) Finally, actual information instead of marketing language. (2:27) Banning the gold star words forced the Floofies to pick actual facts instead.(2:31) Getting angry at the Floofies is a weak signal, even if you get very angry. (2:36) Instead, fix it by specifying the output format. (2:40) Bullets, comparisons, templates.(2:44) Ban the pattern. (2:46) Explicitly forbid the repeating words or structure. (2:49) Or, redirect the task.(2:53) Ask for something different actions, causes, examples. (2:58) Or, use Ask-y's PRISM platform. (3:01) It handles context, so you skip the vocabulary fights.(3:09) Visit ask-y.ai and try PRISM. (3:15) Happy holidays, analysts!