Three Ways Prompt Engineering Can Help Anyone Be A Better Human

There are benefits to AI that nobody talks about.

Those benefits start with using the process of instructing the AI, called prompt engineering, to improve life skills.

Maybe that’s because people think AI and prompt engineering are only for the techies.

But really, they can be very helpful for everyone (not just the geeky internet guys like me).

Playing with it for the past few months made me realize that it is a skill that can improve you and me as humans.

You could be a…

• CEO

• Chef

• Parent

• Teacher

• Student

• Creator

• Plumber

• Scientist

• Employer

• Songwriter

• Dog Walker

• Business owner

• Virtual Assistant

• Whatever

Literally anyone.

So, in this post, I will show you how prompt engineering can improve your life, no matter who you are.

But first…

WTF is prompt engineering?

Prompt engineering is just how you talk to an AI using plain English to help you learn or get things done better and faster (better is subjective, more on that later).

So, instead of needing to know how to code to communicate with a computer, now you can just talk to it in plain English (or any language).

Similar to the way you ask for and/or give instructions to someone who is helping you with something.

Ok, now that you understand that, let’s talk about how it can help us improve.

How Prompt Engineering Can Make You A Better Human

1 | Helps Us Communicate Better

Communication is a huge part of our lives, whether we're dealing with colleagues, friends, or family. Good communication can make all the difference in the world.

When you are learning to prompt effectively, you are also training yourself to ask better questions and give more precise instructions when dealing with people.

Here’s an example of how Nicolas Cole is instructing ChatGPT to help him with an essay:

See how this could help you exercise and fine-tune your ability to give instructions to co-workers, employees, kids, etc.

Next…

2 | Saves Us Time

Time is one of our most valuable resources, and managing it effectively can be a game-changer in achieving our goals and reducing stress.

You can save time if you know how to speak to the machine.

You can ask it to summarize articles. You can ask it to give you instructions on how to do almost anything.

Last week I asked ChatGPT to give me instructions on cooking a pork tenderloin for dinner.

I started the chat using a technique called Role Prompting. It helps give the AI context so that it gives you better answers.

Then I asked it for five side dish ideas.

See how that can save a lot of time?

I didn’t have to dig through the cupboard looking for recipes.

I didn’t have to scroll through endless Google searches to find a good recipe.

When using AI, you spend less time planning and stressing and more time getting higher-priority stuff done. On top of that, it gives you more time to do other stuff that needs to be done, things that you enjoy doing or nothing at all.

3 | Helps Us Ask Better Questions

Getting the best answers to anything in life starts with the quality of the questions.

Let’s use a Google search, for example.

If you do a search for “new shoes,” you will be presented with almost any kind of shoe; running shoes, dress shoes, sandals, etc, etc.

Not helpful.

But if you search for “size 12 running shoes in black”, you are a lot closer to getting what you actually want.

Or let’s say you’re giving instructions to a helper.

If you are very specific on what it is you want them to do, you can’t be pissed at them if they don’t get the job done the way you want it done.

Same with prompting when using an AI.

If you ask the wrong questions or give bad instructions, you will get the wrong answers and bad results.

The instant feedback helps calibrate the crap-in-crap-out-o-meter.

Conclusion

So there you have it.

Prompt engineering is a powerful tool that can benefit everyone, not just tech-savvy folks. It is a skill we can use to help us get better when working with bots & humans.

By mastering the art of prompt engineering, we can learn to ask better questions and give clearer instructions.

We can also save time and reduce stress by using AI to get things done more efficiently.

Whether you're a CEO, a chef, a parent, a teacher, or anything in between, prompt engineering can make your life better.

Try It For Yourself

Go check out LearnPrompting.org.

I’ve been going through the training for the past few weeks.

It’s totally free, and in less than an hour, you’ll have the basics down.

They do a great job teaching using plain-spoken language. Super easy to understand.

Go check it out:

LearnPrompting.org

I guarantee once you learn a prompt or two, you’ll love it.

Music Of The Week

I recorded a podcast this last week called Chill Pill.

This episode features a mixed bag of oldies, newbies, & inbetweenies (sorry, couldn't resist).

In addition to being chill, a common thread on this one is some seriously soulful vocals.

Click here to listen now

And I’ll see you next time.

Have a good one,

Corey