How to ask AI well: a guide to writing prompts

A prompt is what you type to an AI. Most people write one word — "business" — then wonder why the answer is generic. A good prompt has four parts.

1. Who. Tell the AI where to start. "You are a Form Two maths teacher in Tanzania."

2. What. State the job exactly. "Write me ten practice questions on percentages."

3. For whom. Name the reader. "For 14-year-old students who study in Kiswahili."

4. Shape of the answer. Say how you want it back. "One question per line, with the answers at the end."

Put together: "You are a Form Two maths teacher in Tanzania. Write me ten practice questions on percentages, for 14-year-old students who study in Kiswahili. One question per line, with the answers at the end."

The difference between that and the word "maths" is enormous.

Three more techniques

• Give it an example. If you want a business letter, paste one you wrote before and say: "Write another like this one, but for a customer in Mwanza."
• Say what not to do. "No foreign words. Keep it short."
• Ask again. The first answer is a draft. "Cut it in half" or "Give me three other approaches" changes everything.

One warning: the AI does not know your business, your school, or your village. If you want an answer that fits you, you have to put those facts into the prompt yourself.