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What is Prompt Engineering

What is a Prompt?

From a user's perspective, when interacting with an AI, a prompt is the message or instruction you provide to the AI to execute a task or answer a question. Essentially, it’s the command or request that initiates the interaction.

For example, when you type a question or ask the AI to act, like "Explain what a prompt is", that is the prompt. The AI then processes this request and responds based on its information.

Here are some examples of prompts you might give to an AI:

  • "Translate this text into English."
  • "Write a 100-word summary on artificial intelligence."
  • "Create a title for this issue on GitHub."
  • "Explain the concept of Clean Code."

The quality and clarity of the prompt directly influence the AI's response. The clearer and more specific the prompt, the better the AI's response will be.

Prompts can vary in format and complexity, including direct questions, specific instructions, or detailed descriptions, depending on the desired outcome.

What is Prompt Engineering?

It is creating and refining prompts to obtain more accurate and relevant responses from language models like AI. It involves carefully choosing the prompt's words, structure, and context to guide the AI model (such as GPT) in generating the desired output.

For example:

If you want the AI to generate a text summary, a simple prompt like "Summarize this text" may yield a generic response. However, by applying prompt engineering, you can be more specific: "Summarize the following text in 100 words, highlighting key points about sustainability." This helps the AI better understand your expectations, resulting in a response more aligned with your goal.

Objective

Prompt Engineering aims to enhance interactions with AI models, ensuring that responses meet expectations.

Importance

  • Improves response quality.
  • Reduces ambiguity in interactions.
  • Increases efficiency when using AI models.

How does Prompt Engineering work?

Prompt Engineering involves formulating questions or commands that guide the AI model in generating specific responses. This may include:

  • Defining context.
  • Specifying the response format.
  • Limiting the scope of the answer.

Example of a simple Prompt

"Explain the concept of supervised learning in machine learning."

Example of a detailed Prompt

"Explain the concept of supervised learning in machine learning, including examples of popular algorithms and their practical applications."

What is the ideal length of a Prompt?

  • Very short prompts: Lack enough context.

  • Overly long prompts: It may introduce unnecessary confusion. Longer writing isn't always better.

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