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Create the best prompts for an AI

Improve your prompts skills for optimal use of AI: best practices for writing effective prompts!

Published on 
25/1/2023
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Amended on 
24/3/2023
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5 min
Prompt IA

Prompts are one of the key elements for effective use of artificial intelligence. They are used to direct or guide the artificial intelligence in its response or decision making. However, writing good prompts can be difficult, especially if you are not familiar with the characteristics and uses of each type of input.

In this article, we will explain what a prompt is, how AI understands it, the different types of prompts available and best practices for creating them. We will also provide you with tips and tools to test your commands.

What is a prompt?

A prompt is an instruction or question that is used to direct or guide the AI in its response or decision making. It can take different forms, such as sentences, images, data, etc. These prompts can be used for tasks such as speech recognition, natural language understanding, content generation, machine translation and image recognition.

Prompts can be classified into two main categories: input prompts and output prompts:

  1. Input prompts are used to provide information to the AI
  2. Output prompts are used to define the requirements for the artificial intelligence response.

Input prompts

Input prompts can take different forms, such as sentences, images, data, etc.

Sentence-based instructions can be used for natural language understanding tasks, such as answering questions or generating content.

Image prompts are used for image recognition (photo, artwork, etc.) and image processing tasks.

Data inputs are used for data analysis tasks, such as classification or prediction.

The exit prompts

The output prompts define the requirements for the artificial intelligence response. These inputs can include constraints on the form of the response, such as the length of the response, the form of the response (text, image, audio, etc.), and the quality requirements of the response.

It is important to note that your descriptions, searches must be clear and precise so that the AI can understand the instructions correctly. If they are poorly worded or ambiguous can result in incorrect or inappropriate responses. It is therefore important to take the time to write effective prompts to get the best results from the tool.

How does artificial intelligence understand a prompt?

AI uses algorithms and models to understand and interpret prompts. These algorithms and models are based on concepts frommachine learning anddeep learning. They have been trained on reference data to recognize patterns and relationships between different elements of a prompt.

The most commonly used artificial intelligence algorithms for prompt apprehension are:

  • neural networks
  • support vector machines
  • decision trees.

Neural networks are particularly effective for understanding natural language prompts because they are able to process textual data in a manner similar to the way the human brain processes such data.

Support vector machines and decision trees are used for classification or prediction tasks.

Artificial intelligence models also use reference data to understand instructions. This reference data can include sample prompts and responses, linguistic annotations, images, data, etc. Artificial intelligence models use this data to learn patterns and relationships that are relevant to understanding and interpreting prompts.

It is important to note that AI models are not always able to understand prompts in the same way as a human. AI models may be limited by the baseline data they have been trained on and therefore may not be able to handle all the nuances and subtleties of the language. For this reason, it is important to test prompts with different AI models to ensure that they are understandable and produce the desired responses.

The different types of prompts

There are several types of prompts for different AI tasks, each with its own characteristics and uses. The main types of prompts are as follows:

Text analysis prompts: These prompts are used for natural language understanding tasks, such as answering questions, generating content, machine translation, etc. They can take the form of sentences or complete texts. They can take the form of sentences or complete texts.

Image analysis prompts

These prompts are used for image recognition and image processing tasks. They can take the form of images or videos.

Dialogue prompts

These prompts are used for dialogue tasks with artificial intelligence, such as creating chatbots or virtual assistants. They can take the form of sentences or questions.

Voice command prompts

These prompts are used for voice command tasks, such as speech recognition and speech transcription. They can take the form of phrases or keywords.

Data prompts

These prompts are used for data analysis tasks, such as classification, prediction, segmentation, etc. They can take the form of data tables, graphs or time series.

It is important to choose the right type of prompt for the specific task you want to accomplish with AI. For example, text analysis prompts are often used for natural language understanding tasks, while image analysis prompts are often used for image recognition tasks.

7 tips for a good prompt

1. Give a tone

It is important to set an appropriate tone for your prompt depending on the task you want to accomplish with the AI. For example, for dialogue tasks with the AI, a friendly and informal tone is usually best, while for speech recognition tasks, a clear and professional tone is best.

2. Be clear and precise

It is important to word your prompts clearly and precisely so that the AI can understand the instructions correctly. Avoid ambiguous or confusing wording that could lead to incorrect or inappropriate responses from the AI.

3. Use simple and common words

Use simple, common words to phrase your prompts so that the AI can easily understand them. Technical words or domain-specific terms can be difficult for the AI to understand and can lead to incorrect responses.

4. Use short, simple sentences

It is best to use short, simple sentences when formulating your prompts, as this makes it easier for the AI to understand. Long, complex sentences can be difficult for the AI to understand and may result in incorrect responses.

5. Pay attention to spelling and grammar

It is important to check the spelling and grammar of your prompts before using them to ensure that they are understandable to the AI. Spelling or grammar errors can result in incorrect or inappropriate responses from the AI.

6. Be as detailed as possible

It is important to provide as much detail as possible in your prompt to give the AI the information it needs to give an accurate response. This can include information about contexts, parameters, limitations, etc. Describing as much as possible will allow the AI to give a more accurate response that is better suited to the specific task.

7. Test your prompt with different AI

It is important to test your prompts with different AI models to ensure that they are understandable and produce the desired responses. This will let you know if the prompt is effective and if it needs to be modified for better AI understanding.

An example of an effective prompt for an image recognition task might be, "Recognize the objects in this image and categorize them (animals, vehicles, buildings, etc.)." This prompt is clear, precise, uses simple words, and provides details about the task requirements, allowing the AI to understand precisely what it is being asked to do and provide an accurate response.

Artificial intelligence to test your prompts

There are online tools to help you test your prompts. These tools can help you formulate effective prompts and get accurate responses from the AI. The main tools used to generate prompts are:

  1. ChatGPT: A conversational tool developed by OpenAI, capable of generating written content in response to prompts. It can adapt to different topics and language styles, used to generate content for social networks, write scripts for movies and TV series, and create chatbots for businesses. It is constantly improving through continuous learning, and can impersonate a human writer.
    Discover 3 ways to use ChatGPT in a web agency
  2. DALL-E 2: This is a tool to generate an image (or several) automatically developed by OpenAI, it allows to create images from prompts using a technique called "conditional content generation". It can also be used to create variants of existing images. It is easy to use and offers an incredible opportunity for designers and creatives to generate automatic images from a simple idea.
    How to use Dall-E AI
  3. Midjourney: This is an image generation tool developed by Midjourney, it creates images from prompts using pre-trained AI templates. It is especially useful for art projects, marketing campaigns and any other use that requires quality illustrations. It's easy to use and doesn't require design knowledge or complex drawing software. Towards a new type of artist?
    Learnhow to use Midjourney

There are of course many other tools, but these 3 are the most fashionable lately!

In conclusion, prompts are a key element for effective use of artificial intelligence. It is important to understand how they work, the different types available, and the best practices for creating them to get the best results from AI. By using clear and precise inputs, you can effectively guide the AI in its response or decision making for optimal results.

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