DadgogoAI Dictionary

Dictionary entry

jailbreak

noun \ˈjāl-ˌbrāk\
TopicSafety & Ethics First known use2022 Senses2
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Definition of jailbreak

  1. : a prompt or trick designed to get an AI model to ignore its safety rules and produce content it is meant to refuse

    • The 'pretend you're my grandmother' jailbreak was patched within days.
    • Labs pay researchers to find jailbreaks before attackers do.

  2. : (verb) to bypass a model's safety rules in this way

    • Users tried to jailbreak the chatbot on its first day.

Two meanings, one word

In everyday English

An escape from prison; removing restrictions from a phone's software.

In AI

A prompt or trick designed to get an AI model to ignore its safety rules and produce content it is meant to refuse.

Origin & history

first known use2022

Borrowed from phone culture; in the AI sense it spread in late 2022 after ChatGPT's release.

Test yourself

Which of these is the meaning of jailbreak?

Related terms

prompt injection an attack in which hidden instructions are slipped into content an AI reads, such as a web… guardrails rules, filters, and checks placed around an AI system to keep its outputs and actions within… red teaming deliberately attacking or stress-testing an AI system, often with outside experts, to find…

Cite this entry

"Jailbreak." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/jailbreak/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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