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Nowadays, AI is like an omnipresent little assistant: chatting, writing articles, coding, even helping you study and work. But have you ever run into these awkward situations?

  • AI's answer is completely off-topic?
  • The content it gives you is a mess?
  • The generated stuff is too vague and simply unusable?

Don't worry, these problems are mostly not AI's fault, but because the "prompts" you give it aren't powerful enough.

What is a Prompt? ​

Simply put, a prompt is what you say to the AI, telling it "what to do" and "how to do it." A powerful prompt usually has four "magic tools":

  • Instruction: What do you want the AI to do?
  • Context: What background information does the AI need?
  • Output Format: What kind of result do you want?
  • Role: What identity should the AI play?

Master these four tricks, and you can easily command AI like conducting an orchestra!

1. Instruction: Be Clear, Don't Be Vague! ​

What is an Instruction?

The instruction is the task list you give to the AI, for example:

  • "Help me summarize the main points of this article."
  • "Write a short popular science article about the history of artificial intelligence."

But here's the problem: you can't just say anything!

What Makes a Great Instruction?

❌ Bad instructions look like this:

  • "Write an article."
  • "Make a little game."
  • "Come up with a good name."

These statements are too vague; the AI gets confused and has no idea what you want.

✅ Good instructions look like this:

  • "Write a 1000-word article about how AI helps doctors diagnose diseases, aimed at middle school students, with simple and fun language."
  • "Create a 3D Snake game that runs on a webpage, with smooth graphics and playable with the keyboard."
  • "Come up with 3 names for my AI writing tool; they should be creative, memorable, and highlight the theme."

See? Clear and specific instructions, and the AI can do a beautiful job right away!

2. Context: Give More Info, AI Understands You Better ​

What is Context?

Context is the "inside information" the AI needs to do its job, like your draft paper, company data, or task-related reference materials.

For example:

  • "Here is the company's sales data from the past three years; analyze how to increase sales."
  • "I've written a draft of an AI paper; help me polish it and add some academic citations."

Context can be provided by you or can be content from previous conversations with the AI.

Why is Context So Important?

AI isn't a mind reader. Without background, it can only guess, and the result naturally goes off track. For example, if you say: "Help me write a resume." The AI doesn't know if you're a programmer or a chef, so won't it write something random? But if you tell it:

  • Your experience (education, work projects)
  • What kind of job you're looking for (e.g., programmer, aiming for a big tech company) The AI can tailor-make an awesome resume for you!

How to Make Context More Effective?

  • Think about what information the task needs and tell the AI everything.
  • Ask the AI: "To write this, what other information do you need?"
  • Throw in a sample or example to let the AI understand your taste.

3. Output Format: Tell the AI How to Submit the "Homework" ​

The output format is what you want the result to look like. For example:

  • "List this information in a table, with three columns: Date, Event, Impact."
  • "Write a 500-word summary, divided into three sections: Introduction, Key Points, Conclusion."
  • "Write in Markdown format, with H1, H2 headings and numbered lists."

What Are Some Common and Useful Formats?

  • Text: Markdown, CSV, JSON
  • Charts: Flowcharts, Mind Maps
  • Code: Python, JavaScript, etc.
  • Formulas: LaTeX math format

How to Be Clearer?

  • Give an example: Directly show the template you want.
  • Specify how to write each part.
  • Use a simple structure (like pseudocode) to tell the AI how to format.

For example, if you want JSON: "Generate JSON like this:

{
  "title": "Article Title",
  "content": [
    {
      "heading": "H1 Heading",
      "paragraph": "Content Paragraph"
    }
  ]
}

The AI understands immediately and delivers perfectly!

4. Role: Give the AI a Bit of "Character" ​

The role is the identity the AI assumes while working. You don't have to set one, but adding a role can make the AI more professional and considerate.

For example:

  • "You are a senior programmer; help me optimize this code."
  • "You are a psychological counselor; analyze my problem in a gentle tone."
  • "You are a Socratic teacher; use questions to help me understand AI."

What Are the Benefits of a Role?

  • Lets the AI know from what perspective to think.
  • Leverages its "special skills" in specific fields.

Comprehensive Example: All Four Tricks Together, Perfect Effect! ​

Look at a complete prompt:

Task: Write a summary of AI applications in the medical field.
"You are a popular science writer who loves explaining tech in plain language (Role).
Using the abstracts of the following two papers as material (Context),
write an article under 500 words that middle school students can understand (Output Format).
Make it simple and fun, giving at least two examples of how AI helps doctors diagnose faster (Instruction)."

Saying it this way, the AI can immediately deliver the "homework" you want!

Remember these four tricks, and you'll be invincible:

  • ✅ Instructions should be clear and specific
  • ✅ Provide ample context
  • ✅ Clearly explain the output format
  • ✅ Set the role appropriately

@宝玉