To increase the chances of getting a helpful response, include the following elements in a prompt for generative AI:
- Instruction
- The specific task or instruction you want the AI tool to perform
- Examples: List, summarize, explain...
- Input Data
- The input or question you want a response for
- Examples: A search strategy for an undergraduate nursing research paper, three potential topics for an English paper on The Yellow Wallpaper...
- Context
- Information that can steer the model to better responses
- Examples: Write for a college student reading level, write for a middle school reading level...
- Output Indicator
- The type or format of the output
- Example: A short paragraph, a list in ascending difficulty...
Read more about prompt engineering in the Prompt Engineering Guide written by technology consultants from an organization called DAIR.AI (Democratizing Artificial Intelligence Research, Education, and Technologies).