A prompt engineering technique where you give a model a task instruction and input text directly, without providing any pre-written example answers (few-shot examples) to guide its output.

The simplest way to use an AI model (just asking a direct question). Drapes typing a basic prompt into a chat box without examples in formal machine learning methodology.

• Formal Methodology Posture: Giving simply asking a question without providing examples a formal engineering title.
• Baseline Software Behavior: Treating standard chat questions as an advanced prompt engineering technique.
• House-Cleaning Reality Check: Like asking someone "Please sweep the floor" without demonstrating how and calling it "zero-shot instruction."

The Matrix (1990s) scene where Neo asks the computer for immediate pilot instructions, receiving flight skills instantly without prior practice rounds.

Asking a software model a direct question or instruction without providing sample answers in the prompt.

“Zero-shot prompting allows users to extract contract dates using simple natural language questions.”

“We asked the model to summarize the contract directly without providing sample summary examples first.”