With the world discovering more and more about generative Ai, we start to come closer to understanding the impact it will have on our future. Lately, I had also been discovering more about generative Ai myself when I started using ChatGPT to assist me in multiple activities due to its wide array of functionalities. One of these activities was creating an appropriate training scheme for running the marathon of Rotterdam in April when I discovered that the output of ChatGPT greatly differed based on what I asked it to generate. For example, when I just asked ChatGPT to “Create a training scheme for a marathon” I got a very basic output but when I started giving it more context based on my height, weight, heart rate zones and lung capacity the output was far more tailored to my specifics than before. This is also known as prompt engineering; the process of creating specifically tailored instructions to achieve the best possible output (Cambridge Dictionary, 2023).
But how valuable is this skill exactly? Well, that is still pretty hard to determine as it has only been around for such a short time. Short and Short (2023) for example, really emphasize the importance of learning to provide generative Ai models with well-designed instructions to utilize these models more effectively. In their research, they show this by creating and refining different types of pitches based on CEO archetypes which has shown great results. However, Acar (2023) tends to think differently of the importance of prompt engineering. He, for example, states that problem formulation is a far more crucial skill as it isn’t bound by the same constraints as prompt engineering which include its dependence on the model used, its requirement of proper linguistic skills and its shortcoming of adaptability across different problems. Furthermore, he also argues that Ai models will evolve in their natural language skills and thus require less tailored instructions to provide the best possible output.
So what do you think? Is it worth investing our time in? Or should wait and see how generative Ai will transform over time before jumping fully in improving our prompt engineering skills?
References
Acar, O. A. (2023, 8 juni). AI prompt engineering isn’t the future. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/06/ai-prompt-engineering-isnt-the-future
Cambridge Dictionary. (2023). Prompt Engineering. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prompt-engineering
Short, C. E., & Short, J. C. (2023). The Artificially Intelligent Entrepreneur: ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering, and Entrepreneurial Rhetoric Creation. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 19, e00388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2023.e00388
