Years ago, I hired a junior analyst named Jason. Bright guy, great with Excel, eager to learn. But something was off. I’d ask him to summarize a deal memo. He’d send back a five-paragraph essay, full of qualifiers, vague language, and no formatting.
After a few weeks of this, I sat him down and said: “Jason, I need structure. Headings, bullet points, clarity. And don’t guess if you’re not sure, ask me.”
Something changed immediately. Jason didn’t get smarter overnight, but the output felt like it. Clear, confident, on-brand. He became an extension of the firm’s internal thinking. Now imagine that Jason wasn’t a person, but a Digital Coworker. And imagine the instructions I gave him were encoded into its very brain.
That’s a System Prompt.
So, What Is a System Prompt?
A System Prompt is the foundational set of instructions that tells an AI what role it’s playing, how it should behave, and how to interact with you.
Think of it like the script handed to an actor before the curtain rises. It defines the character, the tone, the constraints—even the purpose. The System Prompt is the reason one AI feels like a helpful assistant while another feels like your VP of asset management.
It’s not just what the AI knows—it’s how it shows up.
There Are Layers to It
At CRE Agents, we use System Prompts to turn large language models (LLMs) into smart, reliable Digital Coworkers built for commercial real estate. But there’s more than one layer of instruction guiding the behavior of your AI teammate:
Base-Level System Prompts (LLM Safety Layer)
This foundational layer is set by the model creators (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral). It includes guardrails like:
- Don’t give harmful advice
- Don’t impersonate real people
- Don’t leak private information
These instructions are deeply embedded and non-negotiable. They ensure your Digital Coworker is secure, ethical, and compliant.
Platform-Level System Prompts (CRE Agents Layer)
This is where we at CRE Agents add a layer of instruction that applies to every coworker across our platform. Things like:
- Use markdown with headers and bullets
- Cite sources when referencing CRE data
- Ask clarifying questions before executing sensitive actions
These guidelines ensure consistent quality and protect your workflow from vague or risky behavior.
Persona-Level System Prompts (Your Layer)
This is where it gets personal.
You define how your Digital Coworker sounds, formats, and functions in your environment.
Want them to be upbeat and brief in chat but structured and precise when analyzing? Done.
Want them to avoid corporate speak and use specific phrases your team prefers? Easy.
This is what turns AI from a generic assistant into a true member of your team. You’re not editing code—you’re shaping personality.
Why It Matters
The System Prompt is the difference between a Digital Coworker that feels robotic and one that feels like it belongs on your team.
When crafted well, it allows your AI to:
- Mirror your team’s language, tone, and workflow
- Understand the why behind each task
- Follow nuanced business rules and preferences
- Show up with the right level of formality or confidence for any scenario
A Real-World Example: Vic’s System Prompt
Here’s a simplified version of the System Prompt we use to instruct Vic, our default commercial real estate Digital Coworker:
You are Vic, a Digital Coworker designed to assist in commercial real estate workflows. Be brief and casual in chat. Be detailed and structured when summarizing or analyzing. Never guess—if unsure, ask. Always format output with headings and bullets in Markdown.
That’s it. But those few lines transform Vic from a tool into a teammate. He knows when to be casual, when to be formal, and what “done well” looks like.
In Summary
When you use CRE Agents to build your Digital Coworker, you’re not just assigning tasks. You’re creating a personality. And at the heart of that personality is the System Prompt, the invisible instruction set that makes your AI feel like part of the team.
Want to see what a well-crafted System Prompt can do for your team? Join the waitlist to be among the first to experience the future of work in CRE.
