Better Prompts

Hopefully by now we’ve all started using Generative Artificial Intelligence, colloquially know as AI. How you ask it for information can have a significant effect on the answers you get back. What you ask is known as a prompt. A “good” prompt can get you the information you need quickly and easily whereas a “bad” prompt can lead to inaccurate or misleading information and frustration.

What is a “good” prompt?

I wrote about this about 2 years ago so I think it’s time we went over it again.

1. Condition the AI

By “condition” I mean give the AI a role to fill for this prompt. If you’re going to ask questions about finances you might start with “You are an expert financial analyst.” If your request deals with real estate you might add “and you specialize in finances as it applies to real estate.”

If your request pertains to cooking your conditioning might be “You are an expert home chef.” If you want to know about keto recipes you might continue with “and you specialize in keto recipes.”

If you want to plan a vacation you might condition it with “You are an excellent travel and vacation planner that knows all about travel to [destination], what to see, what to do, where to eat, and where to stay.”

You can also instruct it how to answer you. If you just want the facts without elaboration say so. And don’t be afraid to ask for citations or other references it used,

You can also ask it to tell you what it plans to do and get your OK before it begins the actual research. You can ask it to tell you how it plans to present the information so you can change it to your liking.

If it’s a complex issue, tell it to explain it to you like you’re a 5th grader. You can always go deeper later,

2. Know what you want

This may sound silly but it will help immensely if you know what kind of information you’re seeking. If you’re doing some basic research for a new toaster you can prompt with that fact: “I’m just doing some basic research for a new toaster. I don’t really have any fixed idea of what features I want or even price.” That will give you a very different answer from “I want a toaster that costs less than $30, can toast 2 items at a time including bagels, and can sense the moisture content of the item being toasted.”

3. Give examples or specify the kind of output you expect

If you are looking for a recipe and you want it presented the way a cookbook presents it with ingredients first and preparation next, tell it that: “Present the beef stew recipe the way a cookbook would present it with ingredients, amounts, and measures first followed by the preparation instructions.” Or, following the toaster example “show me toaster recommendations in a table listing features, pros, cons, and manufacturers.”

4. Don’t be afraid to add on or ask for modifications.

If you realize that you missed something in a previous prompt, go right ahead and add on! In that toaster example if you forgot to ask for price, add it: “include the price of each toaster and order the table from lowest cost to most expensive.”

5. Start over if necessary

Sometimes the AI will just get hopelessly lost. In a case like that, just start a new conversation. You can copy some of your better prompts from the conversation if you think those prompts captured your request but, aside from that, start with a clean slate.

6. You can always come back to the conversation

I do this often. I’ll start a conversation and find I need time to think about the answers I’ve gotten so far. So, I just stop. The AI will remember our conversation and I can pick it right back up later as if no time had passed.

It’s easier than it looks

I’ve given you 6 items to help you with your prompts so you can hopefully get the information you need in the way that you want it, It may seem complicated but, with a little practice, it will become second nature. And if you’re just asking a simple question like “When was Van Morrison born” - well, there’s not much reason to go through an elaborate setup. Just ask it!

That’s all for this time

In this installment I’ve tried to give you a framework for crafting a “good” prompt for your favorite AI. Don't hesitate to write to me if you have questions!

As always, my intent is to help you understand the basics and equip you to search for more detailed information.

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