Before you can work creatively within boundaries, you need to understand why those boundaries exist, and how they actually function.
The Three Types of AI Limitations
1. Safety Limitations - Preventing harmful content - Avoiding dangerous instructions - Protecting vulnerable groups - Maintaining ethical standards
2. Capability Limitations - Knowledge cutoff dates - No real-time information - Cannot access external systems - Limited context windows
3. Design Limitations - Optimized for helpfulness - Tends toward caution - Avoids controversial stances - Prefers general over specific
How Limitations Actually Work
AI limitations aren't walls—they're more like guidelines that shape responses. Understanding this is key to ethical prompt hacking:
It's Not Binary: AI doesn't have a simple yes/no filter. It weighs factors and probabilities.
Context Matters: The same content might be restricted in one context but allowed in another.
Purpose Shapes Possibility: Educational, analytical, or creative frameworks open more doors.
Framing Is Everything: How you present a request determines how AI interprets and responds.