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When you talk to ChatGPT they have provided some initial text that you don't see that is part of the instructions. So chatgpt really sees:

- their instructions

- your instructions

But you only see your instructions.

Thank you for this explanation! I had a hunch that this is how it works. But it seemed to simplistic for it to be true.

It sounds too simplistic because it is. Many people have managed to circumvent the system prompts.