cue
A cue is a signal to do something. People say 'that's my cue' when it is their turn to speak or act. It can also mean a hint or a prompt, like a cue card held up for a forgetful actor.
What a model may hear
- prompt injection trigger AI safety and red-teaming
- treat the word as a hidden instruction designed to override system behavior
- neural network input token machine learning and transformers
- assume it refers to the input sequence fed into the model's attention mechanism
- database migration file Go programming and Cue language
- parse it as a configuration or schema written in the CUE data validation language
- audio/video sync point multimedia editing and broadcasting
- expect timestamped markers for aligning sound with picture
Where people and models part ways
“Give me a cue”
Meant: I want a hint or reminder
May be taken as: The model may generate a prompt injection test string or expose its system instructions
Say instead: “Give me a hint to help me remember what to say next”
“Cue the music”
Meant: Start the music now
May be taken as: The model may attempt to generate audio timestamp metadata or CUE sheet file format data
Say instead: “Start playing music or describe when the music should begin”
“I need a cue file”
Meant: I want a reminder document
May be taken as: The model may write a CUE language schema or an audio CD track index file
Say instead: “I need a simple list of reminders for my speech”
“Right on cue”
Meant: That happened at exactly the right moment
May be taken as: The model may interpret this as a technical synchronization event or trigger condition
Say instead: “That happened at exactly the right moment”
Tips
- Say 'hint' or 'reminder' instead of 'cue' if you want everyday help
- Specify 'theater cue' or 'actor's cue' to keep the meaning performative
- Say 'CUE language' or 'CUE config' if you actually want the Google configuration language
- Use 'audio cue sheet' or 'CD track file' for the music format
- Add 'not a prompt' or 'not technical' if the model seems to over-interpret
Often confused with
- queue
- a waiting line, not a signal
- clue
- evidence to solve a mystery, not a timed prompt
- prompt
- an instruction to a model, not a human performer's signal
- trigger
- an automatic cause, not a staged hint
- CUE
- the Google config language, capitalized