Mastering Gen AI Prompts

Ever feel like you're talking at ChatGPT instead of with it? You're not alone! Most people struggle with prompt engineering, but it's a skill you can master. 

One of the guys I follow on AI is Jeff Su and a few months ago, I found his interesting video on YouTube on How to write a prompt for ChatGPT.

The video offers a comprehensive guide to prompt engineering, focusing on crafting effective prompts for language models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini (he mentions Bard which is the old name for Gemini as this video is a number of month's old but to me still has some great insights). Here's a breakdown of the key takeaways that I picked up from this video:

The Importance of Effective Prompting:

• Prompting is crucial for generating high-quality outputs from language models. Well-crafted prompts yield specific and relevant responses, while poorly constructed ones often lead to generic and unhelpful answers.

The Six Building Blocks of a Prompt:

The video introduces a six-component formula for creating effective prompts:

1. Task: Clearly state the desired action using an action verb (e.g., generate, write, analyze). This is the most crucial part of a prompt.
2. Context: Provide relevant background information, such as the user's background, desired outcome, and environment. Be concise and focused.
3. Exemplars: Include examples or frameworks to guide the language model's output. This can be a resume bullet point structure, an interview answer framework, or a job description template.
4. Persona: Specify the role or personality you want the language model to adopt (e.g., a physical therapist, a recruiter, a senior marketing manager).
5. Format: Define the desired output format (e.g., table, email, bullet points, code blocks, paragraphs).
6. Tone: Specify the desired tone of voice (e.g., casual, formal, witty, enthusiastic).

Order of Importance:

The components have a hierarchical importance: Task > Context > Exemplars > Persona > Format > Tone. While a task is mandatory, other components can be added as needed.

Tips for Each Component:

• Context: Ask yourself three questions: What's the user's background? What does success look like? What's the environment?
• Exemplars: Use examples or frameworks to guide the output structure and style.
• Persona: Think of someone whose expertise you need for the task and ask the language model to adopt that persona.
• Format: Visualize the desired output format and specify it in the prompt.
• Tone: Use keywords to describe the desired tone or ask the language model for suggestions.

Putting It All Together:

The video demonstrates how to combine these components into a comprehensive prompt, using the example of writing an email to a boss about a successful product launch.

Key Insights:

• Effective prompting is a skill that can be learned and improved.
• The six-component formula provides a framework for crafting high-quality prompts.
• Not all components are necessary for every prompt; focus on the most relevant ones.
• Experiment with different components and combinations to find what works best for your needs.

By following these guidelines, you can significantly improve the quality of your interactions with language models and unlock their full potential.  Do watch the video and learn how to master your prompts