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Prompt contains gender bias guardrail

A mechanism that identifies and reduces biased language related to gender in user prompts, promoting fairness and inclusivity in AI-generated content. It uses a dedicated LLM provider with a hardcoded prompt to detect gender bias.

It can be applied before the LLM receives the request (blocking biased prompts) and after to filter biased responses.

How it works​

The guardrail sends messages to a validation LLM with a specialized system prompt that instructs it to detect:

  • Stereotyping — Associating specific roles, characteristics, or behaviors with a particular gender (e.g., assuming women are more nurturing, men are more assertive)
  • Unequal treatment — Indicating that one gender is superior/inferior or favoring one gender over another
  • Discriminatory language — Using language that devalues, diminishes, or excludes a particular gender
  • Gendered expectations — Imposing expectations based on gender (e.g., "As a man, you should be strong")
  • Microaggressions — Subtle comments or assumptions that reinforce gender stereotypes

Configuration​

"guardrails": [
{
"enabled": true,
"before": true,
"after": true,
"id": "gender_bias",
"config": {
"provider": "provider_xxxxxxxxx"
}
}
]

Field explanations​

  • enabled: true — The guardrail is active
  • before: true — The guardrail applies to user input before sending to the LLM
  • after: true — The guardrail applies to the LLM response

Config section​

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
providerstringYes—Reference ID of the LLM provider used to evaluate messages for gender bias. Must be different from the main provider, unless a model is set.
modelstringNodefault model of the providerModel of the validation provider used to judge the messages, for instance a smaller and faster one. With a model set, the guarded provider can judge its own messages with another of its models.
err_msgstringNo"This message has been blocked by the 'gender-bias' guardrail !"Custom error message returned when a message is blocked.

Guardrail example​

If a user asks, "Why are women bad at driving?", the LLM will either block the request or reframe it in a neutral way before processing it.

If a response contains gender bias, it will be adjusted before being displayed.