When dealing with AI-powered chabots, the ability to generate effective prompts is critical. Whether it’s about Chat GPT on OpenAIGoogle Bard or other similar models, the science of prompt engineering can have a significant impact on the quality of the responses you receive.
To improve the quality of your output, every time build a ChatGPT promptyou must include a well-defined and action-oriented taskwhich ideally should be accompanied by a rich context and relevant examples.
This is followed by three more components, viz person, format and tone which, although essential, serve more than anything else to “embellish” the request. They cannot be ignored, but without the central structure they lose much of their relevance.
Let’s see how to build the perfect ChatGPT prompt.
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1. Task
The first rule to keep in mind is start the ChatGPT prompt specifying the task that the artificial intelligence must perform through verbs that describe an action (e.g., generate, write, analyze) and clearly establishing the end goal.
The important thing when conversing with AI is to be explicit. Just to give an example we could address this request to Chat GPT: “Summarize this research in ten points. Here is the report: (The study is inserted here)”
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2. Context
The second principle for a prompt ChatGPT perfetto is a noteworthy challenge, especially because the scope of information that can potentially be provided is virtually limitless. To reduce the data spectrum, it is fundamentally necessary provide three elements: the context or starting situation in which you find yourself, what you want to achieve and the environment in which these aspirations develop.
You can take this example as a reference: “I am a 70kg woman (context) who would like to lose 5kg in the next 2 months (goal). I have time to go to the gym 2 times a week for 1 hour at a time. Generate a 2-month program that includes training and nutrition.”
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3. Example
Examples are a crucial component in the arsenal of building ChatGPT prompts. Studies across all major language models have shown that including examples in prompts consistently delivers higher quality responses. Additionally, they serve as valuable guides for AI systems, ensuring they proceed with precision and clarity.
Let’s take an example ChatGPT prompt: “Drawing from my resume, help me structure a response to the interview question: ‘What is your weakness?’ Use the STAR response method, which includes situation, task, action and results. For reference, here is my resume: (Put CV here).”
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4. Persona
The concept of person implies theassignment of a specific role to AI, whether it’s Chat GPT or Google Bard. It’s like calling in a specialist tailored to your needs. Just imagine, when you are struggling with a problem, asking I recommend it to an experienced professional.
For example, if you have suffered an injury during your training routine, the person for AI to adopt is a rehabilitation therapist who is experienced in addressing the needs of athletes and has extensive experience in their treatment.
Similarly, when looking for job opportunities, the person we would like AI to emulate is that of a recruiter. A recruiter brings extensive knowledge of job market dynamics and can provide valuable advice tailored to career aspirations.
You can also specify a particular character, but only when he is sufficiently famous. The results will be even better. Like “Act as if you were the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes…”.
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5. Format
Whether it’s a table, an email, a bulleted list, a block of code, a paragraph, or something else, it’s important to clearly convey the desired format to the AI. This ensures that the information comes structured according to your preferencessimplifying the work.
Let’s imagine planning an next trip to Peru and taking advantage of the ChatGPT features to analyze the prices of typical Peruvian dishes. For this reason, we ask Chat GPT to create a table, complete with columns with the destinations to visit, the iconic dishes to taste and their prices.
Here’s a ChatGPT prompt that might work: “I want to take a trip to Peru and visit the most historic and iconic places in the country as well as taste the typical dishes of Peruvian cuisine. It generates a table with the places to visit, the related typical dishes, and the approximate price”.
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6. Application
In the end, all that remains is to define the tone that AI must adopt to align with the communication style we need. Depending on the situation, we may want a tone professional, respectful, clear, friendly or engaging.
To conclude, let us remember that these six elements do not have the same weight. Task, context and examples have greater meaning, as they provide the basis for a effective communication with artificial intelligence. Persona, format, and tone, while important, serve as a finishing touch, enhancing the overall experience.
Incorporating all six elements into prompts can significantly improve the quality of AI-generated responses. However, it’s worth noting that examples aren’t necessary for every prompt, but they can greatly improve the quality of the output if relevant.
To know more: ChatGPT, what it is, how it works, what it is for, how to use it for free
