HI STUDENTS, PLEASE STEAL MY PROMPTS (as published in Nanyang Technological University Singapore’s HEY! magazine)
I dislike the term “prompt engineering”. As a true-blue arts guy, I find the term too elitist and not inclusive. Anyone can come up with a good prompt, as long as they think clearly and know what results they want to achieve. I also believe in writing very concise prompts. Here are some that I use regularly – do try them out.
“Create study notes from this text”
I find this crunches content better than the usual “summarise this” prompt. And you thought students were the only ones using AI to skim through boring textbooks or papers?
“Check the story flow”, “Any gaps in logic?”
I use this to check the articles that I write for the media. It’s great to have another pair of eyes to make sure my story is written in a logical flow and to ensure I have covered the different perspectives sufficiently.
“Bridge these two paragraphs with a good transition”
Sometimes, I get writer’s block, and I will struggle to fit two ideas or paragraphs together in a smooth way. Gen AI is really good at plugging the gap, after which I will rewrite the provided text in my own words.
“Make this message kinder”
We all have bad days. But we should never take out our frustrations on someone else. When you are feeling crummy, stop, breathe and ask ChatGPT to tone down your message or email before hitting “send”. You will prevent many bridges from being burnt.
“Who is Ian Yong Hoe Tan” (ensure “web search” button is activated)
This isn’t just an ego trip. I do this to check that large language models like ChatGPT pull accurate details about me from my website, LinkedIn and NTU directory pages. People are increasingly using Gen AI to do web searches, and we need to make sure our online data is updated and accurate.
After you are done reading about my boring life, use this prompt to find out more about other people, things or companies. But remember: You still must verify the accuracy of the facts as Gen AI can hallucinate anytime.
(Image generated by ChatGPT 4o. The image was designed to go with the main story “Don’t hand your brain over to Gen AI”. Link to original story in comments.)