There is a phrase attributed to King Carlos V, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain that says; “I speak Spanish, to Italian women, to the French men and my horse, German.”
According to the myth, this phrase reflects The importance that Carlos V gave to communication and the adaptation of language according to the interlocutordepending on its origin or status.
Just as Carlos V sought to communicate understandably with each interlocutor, it is important that we learn to interact with digital tools so that they understand and be helpful.
Tools of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Chatgpt, DeepseekClaude and other advanced language models They have become indispensable allies for tasks ranging from text writing to project planning.
However, to make the most of these tools, It is essential to know how to communicate with them. The key is in the Promptthat is to say, The way we ask our questions or instructions.
What is a prompt?
A Prompt It is the way we communicate with artificial intelligence language models. According to Ali Lemus, Postgraduate Director in Artificial Intelligence of the Galileo University, “a Prompt It is the way I speak to AI to access the knowledge it already has. ”
In other words, It is the instruction we give to the tool to obtain a useful response. “It’s like talking to a horse in German if that is the language you understand, or a person in their favorite language,” Lemus explains. This analogy illustrates the importance of adapting our language to the interlocutor, whether human or artificial.
Language models, known as Large Language Models (LLM), are designed to process natural language, which allows interacting with them in our daily language.
However, not all Prompts They are equally effective. “The way in which the quality of the answer is determined,” says Lemus. Therefore, It is crucial to learn to structure our instructions to obtain optimal results.
The anatomy of a good prompt
Greg Brockman, president of OpenAIrecently shared a key structure to write Prompts effective.
- Aim: Define clearly and explicitly what you want to achieve. If the objective is not well defined, the AI system could generate vague or out of context responses, which would reduce the usefulness of the interaction. For example: “I want a list of the best walks of approximately two hours in San Francisco.”
- Response format: Specify how you want to receive information. You must specify if you want it to be in a list format, a detailed paragraph, a summary. This will allow the AI to organize the information in a consistent and useful way and meet the user’s expectations. “For each walk, give me the name, the location, the duration and what makes it unique.”
- WARNINGS: Establish conditions to avoid common mistakes and make sure the answer is as precise as possible. Warnings can inform about limitations or exclusion of issues. “Make sure the routes exist and that the times are precise.”
- Context: Provide additional information for AI to better understand your application. Add details about the context of the question will enrich the answers making it more complete to the user’s specific situation. “I have done walks in prison and Golden Gate Park, but I want to explore less known routes.”
This structure Not only does it improve the quality of the responses, but also reduces the risk that the “hallucine” AI or generates incorrect information. “Giving it context is like giving clues to understand exactly what is needed,” says Lemus.
Common errors when interacting with AI
One of the most frequent errors when using tools such as ChatgPT is not to be clear enough in the instructions. “Many people do not know what they are asking and expects the AI Guess,” says Lemus.
Another mistake is not to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of the tool. “If you are only asked how much 2 + 2 is not taking advantage of your potential.”
In addition, the treatment towards AI also influences the answers. “If you are treated with respect and kindness, it is more likely to obtain useful and professional responses,” explains Lemus. This is because language models are trained with human data, so they tend to imitate behavior patterns. “If it is insulted, it is likely to receive negative responses,” he warns.
Practical tips for writing effective prompts
- Be specific: The more detailed the question, the better the answer will be. For example, instead of asking: Recommend me a restaurant, request: Recommend me a restaurant in Antigua Guatemala that serves traditional food and is suitable for families.
- Define the format: if you need a list, a summary or a formal tone text, specify it from the beginning.
- Provide context: help AI understand the situation. “I am planning a trip to Panajachel and I need recommendations of activities for two days,” explains Lemus.
- Use examples: If you want AI to follow a specific style, provide models. Write an email like this: [ejemplo].
- Verify the information: Ask the AI to confirm its sources or review the accuracy of the data.
Privacy and responsible use
A crucial aspect when interacting with AI is privacy. Lemus warns that, although tools such as Chatgpt offer options to protect information, not all interactions are private. “In the free version, your conversations can be used to retrace the model,” he explains. Therefore, it recommends avoiding sharing sensitive or confidential data.