Master Prompt Engineering for Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot
Prompt engineering is the art of crafting instructions that guide powerful language models like Google Gemini (formerly Bard), ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot to generate the output you need. It’s like having a conversation with an incredibly knowledgeable AI assistant — the better your questions and directions, the more helpful the answers.
Whether you’re a programmer, writer, researcher, or simply curious about AI, prompt engineering can take your work to the next level. From streamlining tasks to sparking creative ideas, this skill holds tremendous potential for boosting efficiency and innovation.
How Prompt Engineering Can Transform Your Work
Get the Job Done Faster: Clear prompts cut through the noise, letting AI models focus on precisely what you need. This translates to less time spent rephrasing questions or sifting through mediocre results.
Unleash Your Creativity: AI models can act as brainstorming partners or idea generators. Skilled prompts can lead to original solutions, fresh perspectives, and unique content.
Gain an Edge: The rise of AI makes prompt engineering an increasingly valuable skill for professionals across industries. In a competitive job market, fluency in guiding these tools can set you apart.
General Prompt Engineering Tips
Clarity is Key: Express your desired outcome as clearly and concisely as possible. Example: “Summarize the latest trends in sustainable energy in a 300-word article.”
Provide Context: Additional information helps AI models understand your needs. Example: “I’m working on a screenplay. Generate dialogue for a tense argument between two old friends.”
Structure for Simplicity: Use lists, bullet points, and headings to organize complex requests.
Experiment and Iterate: Be prepared to experiment with phrasing and examples until you find the right approach.
These prompt engineering tips on the page are for general LLM users. If you want to study advanced techniques to produce highly effective and accurate results, I recommend you read some books or enroll in a course from the links below:
Google Gemini Tips
Utilize Search Integration: Take advantage of Gemini’s connection to Google Search. Example: “What are the top 5 highest-grossing films of 2023? Summarize them in a table.”
Harness Multimodal Power: Access image creation, translations, and more. Example: “Translate ‘Thank you for your help’ into Spanish and generate a celebratory image to go with it.”
The Assistant Mindset: Phrase prompts as direct requests. Example: “Find resources on sustainable farming practices and compile a list of key takeaways.”
Hypothetical Reasoning: Ask Gemini to evaluate potential outcomes or analyze unconventional scenarios. Example: “Assume a self-driving car faces a situation with no ideal outcome. Using ethical frameworks, suggest possible courses of action and rank them according to potential harm.”
Insight Extraction: Dig deeper into large bodies of text for specific trends or patterns. Example: “Analyze news articles over the past month about Company X. What are the dominant positive and negative sentiments surrounding the company, and how have they changed over time?”
Comparative Research: Gemini can synthesize information from multiple sources. Example: “Compare the key principles of Agile and Scrum project management methodologies. Create a table highlighting similarities and differences.”
“Expert Assistant” Mode: Request assistance with subject-matter specific tasks. Example: “You are a physics expert. A ball is thrown straight up at 15 m/s. Calculate the maximum height it reaches and the time it takes to get there. Explain the solution steps.”
Combining Modalities: Push the boundaries of text and images. Example: “Write a short children’s story about a curious cat exploring a garden. Generate illustrations for each scene.”
ChatGPT Tips
Embrace Creativity: Experiment with storytelling, poetry, and scriptwriting. Example: “Write a haiku about the feeling of watching the sunrise.”
Role-playing is Powerful: ChatGPT excels at taking on distinct personalities. Example: “Act as a financial advisor and explain the concept of compound interest in simple terms.”
Break It Down: Use a series of connected prompts for complex tasks.
Refining Writing Styles: ChatGPT can tailor language to match a specific tone or writing style. Example: “Rewrite this product description in the style of a classic Hemingway short story.”
Exploring Philosophical Ideas: Engage ChatGPT in abstract discussions or pose thought experiments. Example: “Discuss the concept of free will from both a determinist and a libertarian perspective.”
Empathetic Conversational Partner: Explore interactions based on emotion and personal perspective. Example: “I’m feeling stressed out about an upcoming presentation. Can you offer some words of encouragement and advice to calm my nerves?”
Multi-Step Problem Solving: Break down complex challenges into a conversational back-and-forth with ChatGPT. Example: “I want to plan a surprise birthday party for my friend. Let’s brainstorm ideas for themes, food, and activities. Keep in mind a budget of $200.”
Guided World Building: Use ChatGPT to collaboratively create fictional settings, characters, and narratives. Example: “Let’s create a fantasy world together. Describe the environment of a magical forest. Now, introduce a character who lives there — what are their motivations and goals?”
Microsoft Copilot Tips
Code is King: Provide a descriptive overview of your programming goal in comments. Example: “// Write a Python function to sort a list of numbers in descending order.”
Let Copilot Analyze: Give Copilot time to understand your codebase and surrounding project files.
Collaborate with AI: Carefully review its code suggestions — the best solution might be a mix of yours and the AI’s work.
Refactoring Legacy Code: Improve the readability or structure of older code. Example: “// This function is messy and inefficient. Can you refactor it for clarity and better performance?”
Test Case Generation: Automatically create tests to check your code’s functionality. Example: “//Generate unit tests to cover all possible inputs and edge cases for this function.”
Peer Code Review: Ask Copilot to act as a reviewer, finding potential bugs or suggesting optimizations. Example: “// Analyze this code for potential errors or places where it could be made more concise.”
Excel Formula Wizard: Use natural language to generate complex formulas. Example: “// In this sales data, calculate the average commission rate for transactions over $1000, only for the Western region.”
Data Cleaning Assistance: Have Copilot identify and suggest fixes for inconsistencies. Example: “// Find any formatting errors or potential duplicates in this spreadsheet and suggest corrections.”
PowerPoint Designer: Transform a basic text outline into visually appealing slides. Example: “// Create a visually engaging presentation from this outline about renewable energy trends.”
Note:
The Power of Context: The more code and surrounding files Copilot can analyze, the more relevant its suggestions will be.
Be Specific: Focus your prompts by including descriptions of variable names, function purposes, and intended outcomes.
Human Expertise is Key: Always review Copilot’s output critically. Use its suggestions as a starting point and incorporate your domain knowledge.
Remember, AI is a Tool
Prompt engineering is an evolving skill and large language models (LLMs) continue to improve. Keep practicing, stay curious, and adapt your approach! The results will amaze you.
