ChatGPT is the tool partreatmentς artificialof artificial intelligence (AI) that has taken the world by storm. But there is a lot you can do when giving prompts to ensure the best possible outcome.
Below we'll look at how you can write prompts that encourage the LLM in ChatGPT to give the best possible answers.
1. Talk to the AI like you would a human
One of the most interesting things to get used to when working with ChatGPT is that you don't program it, you talk to it. As a developer, I've had to let go of a lot of habits when working with AI. Talking to him requires a change in mindset.
When I say talk to him like a person, I mean talk to him like you would a colleague or team member. If it's hard to do, give it a name. Naming helps because when you're talking to “Niko” for example, you can include more details that give texture to your story, a variety of possibilities.
When you're talking to a person, it's natural to expect someone to misunderstand you and to provide clarification. It would be natural for someone you're talking to to stray from the topic at hand and need to be brought back. It would be natural to fill in the background and ask complex questions, and it would also be natural to need to dig deeper, repeating some of those questions based on the answers you received.
This is called interactive prompt.
Don't be afraid to ask multi-step questions. Ask a question, get an answer. Based on that answer, ask another question, for very powerful results. Think of yourself as talking to a "friend". You wouldn't ask a friend a question and then walk away. You would have a conversation. Do the same with AI.
2. Set the scene and provide context
Writing a ChatGPT prompt is more than just a one-sentence question. It often involves providing relevant information to define the context of the query.
Let's say you want to prepare for a marathon. If you ask ChatGPT:
How do I prepare for a marathon?
You will get a very general answer. If you ask the AI that you are training for your first marathon. The answers you will receive will be more focused on your needs, such as:
I'm a beginner runner and have never run a marathon before, but I want to take part in (and finish) one in six months. How can I prepare? better for a marathon?
Give AI much more information to give you a more focused and useful answer.
A note: Limit the answer to 500 words because ChatGPT seems to break off somewhere between 500 and 700 words, leaving stories mid-sentence and not continuing properly when asked to continue. I hope that future editions will be able to provide more extensive answers.
Write me a short story, no more than 500 words.
3. Tell the AI to assume an identity or profession
One of the nicest characteristics of ChatGPT is that it can write from visual angle of a particular person or profession. You can have them write as if they were a teacher, a marketing executive, a journalist, or from anyone else's perspective, with better results.
For example. Ask ChatGPT to describe the Amazon Echo smart home device, from a seller's point of view productof, an owner and a journalist:
From a product manager's perspective, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device.
From the perspective of an adult child caring for an elderly parent, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device.
From a journalist's point of view, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device.
You can give these three messages in ChatGPT and will that different roles provide different responses.
The different identities allow the AI to provide different perspectives in its response. Extending this idea a bit let the AI do a thought experiment:
The year is 2012. The Crab κυκλοφορεί για το iPhone εδώ και περίπου ένα χρόνο, αλλά δεν έχει κυκλοφορήσει ακόμα μια έξυπνη οικιακή συσκευή τύπου Alexa. Η σκηνή είναι μια συνάντηση του διοικητικού συμβουλίου της Amazon όπου μόλις προτάθηκε ο έξυπνος assistant Alexa-based Echo.
Give arguments, for and against, for the board members at that meeting. What would be likely to be discussed in this procedure to decide whether or not to approve expenditure for investment in the development of the device.
5. Don't be afraid to play and experiment
One of the best ways to improve your skills is to play with what the chatbot can do.
Try feeding ChatGPT some interesting prompts to see what it does. Then change them and see what happens. Here are five to get you started:
- Imagine you are a raindrop falling from the sky during a thunderstorm. Describe your journey from the moment you form in the cloud to the moment you hit the ground. What do you see, feel and experience?
- You are one game that has been left behind in an attic for decades. Share your feelings, memories of the past and your hopes of being rediscovered.
- Write the last entry in the journal of a time traveler who decided to settle in a certain era, explaining why he chose that era and what he learned from his travels.
- Imagine a dialogue between two unlikely objects, such as a teacup and a wristwatch, discussing their daily routines and the challenges they face.
- Describe a day in an ant colony from an ant's perspective. Dive deep into the politics, challenges and social structures of the ant world.
Pay attention not only to what the AI creates, but also to how it produces answers, what it does, what mistakes it makes, and where it seems to have limits. All these details will help you expand your horizons.
