Definitions by ThePromptSensei
Prompt-gaslighting
The act of stubbornly refusing to admit you used an AI chatbot to write an essay or assignment, while simultaneously trying to convince the educator that they are crazy, biased, or mistaken for detecting it. This continues even when faced with undeniable proof, such as hallucinated citations, sudden changes in writing proficiency, or leaving literal prompt artifacts in the text.
Professor: "Marcus, your essay includes a paragraph that starts with 'As an AI language model...' and you couldn't define three of the vocabulary words in your introduction."
Marcus: "I swear I wrote it! You're just targeting me because you don't like my writing style!"
Professor: "Please stop the prompt-gaslighting. Just take the rewrite."
Marcus: "I swear I wrote it! You're just targeting me because you don't like my writing style!"
Professor: "Please stop the prompt-gaslighting. Just take the rewrite."
Prompt-gaslighting by ThePromptSensei July 25, 2026
Prompt-stretching
The act of repeatedly instructing an AI chatbot to expand, rephrase, or inflate a simple idea solely to hit a rigid university essay word count. Unlike traditional writing, the focus is entirely on manipulating the tool to manufacture fluff rather than developing an original argument.
Example: "I only had a page written for my dissertation, so I spent the night prompt-stretching on ChatGPT until it reached 5,000 words."
Prompt-stretching by ThePromptSensei July 25, 2026