Prompt crafting is the art of creating and refining instructions to an AI - it is the process of guiding the AI to a better output; one that can be used to obtain useful (and accurate) information. The more concise and clear the directions are, the less likely the AI will 'hallucinate,' or make up information. It's important to remember that AI's don't 'think' like humans, rather they convert each word into 'tokens,' and formulate an output from the prompt. The more uncessary words, the more the AI needs to process, and the more likley it will deviate from the original request and return an unsatisfactory answer.
A vague request like, "Tell me about ancient Rome" will yield a generic summary, but a better prompt, "Act as an undergraduate history professor and explain three key events that lead to the fall of the Roman Empire" will return specific information and keywords that will prove useful to the research process.
Focus on the most important keywords and eliminate filler that can confuse the AI.
Good: "List three major pharaohs of Egypt's New Kingdom and their most significant accomplishments."
Needs Improvement: "I'm writing a paper about ancient Egypt and I need to know about their leaders. Can you tell me about the pharaohs during the New Kingdom period and what they were famous for?"
This is too conversational, remember; AI doesn't need unnecessary backstory, but a specific task.
Ensure your question connects concepts accurately. If a prompt doesn't make sense, neither will the AI’s answer.
Good: Explain how the threat of northern nomadic groups, including the Mongols, influenced the construction of the Great Wall of China. In addition, describe how the Mongol Empire later used gunpowder in their military conquests.
Needs Improvement: "How did the Mongol Empire's use of gunpowder lead to the construction of the Great Wall of China?”
This is not a logical prompt as the Great Wall was built over many dynasties, largely before the rise of the Mongol Empire, and was intended to defend against invasions from various peoples.
Be direct and specific about the format and scope of the answer you need. The more the AI needs to guess, the more likely it is to hallucinate.
Good: "Create a two-column table outlining the major goods and ideas exchanged on the Silk Road. Column 1 should list the item, and Column 2 should list its primary region of origin."
Needs Improvement: "What was the Silk Road?"
This is too broad - remember to be specific. Are you asking for a map, its history, its economic impact?
Use the AI's first answer to ask a better second question. Pull out keywords or concepts from its response to drill down to specific content.
Prompt 1: "Why did the Roman Empire fall?"
The AI might return: "...a combination of factors, including political and economic instability, overexpansion..."
Prompt 2 (Adaptive): "Elaborate on the political instability in the late Roman Empire, specifically during the third century."
Always pause and think about the AI's answer. Is it accurate? Is perspective missing? Think about missing gender or ethnic points of view.
Prompt 1: "List the major figures who contributed to the political philosophy of the Enlightenment."
Reflection: You might receive a list of male European thinkers that include Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau. You also might notice this list excludes female voices.
Prompt 2 (Reflective): "Now, identify and describe the contributions of women to Enlightenment political philosophy.
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