Prompt Engineering?

The more I use Microsoft Copilot and Bing Chat Enterprise (BCE) the more I’m coming to realise the importance of what and how you ask the AI for if you want the most meaningful answers or content. Like interacting with search engines, the more detail you provide the more context you provide for the information that is returned. Unlike running a search query though, interacting with a generative AI such as Copilot and BCE requires additional thought put into not only the key words used but the context in which they are used and the way the question, or prompts as they are commonly referred to, are phrased. It is probably no surprise that this skill has been given a name, Prompt Engineering, and it is receiving increasing focus as we see the rapid adoption of generative AI based solutions across all areas of business and industry. There is also value in understanding this even in our personal lives with technologies like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa reliant on you understand what you can ask of the assistant and how to ask it.

Prompt Engineering is an emerging expertise that requires creativity and attention to detail, and I would go as far as to say that I think understanding prompt engineering will become a crucial skill for almost all roles. In fact, if you go looking, you will even see dedicate Prompt Engineer roles being advertised.

Like me you might be thinking “Where do I start?”. Well, it turns out there are numerous resources and available via YouTube and, if you’re looking for something formal with potential for some form of recognition resulting such as a certificate, there is a long list of courses available through LinkedIn Learning as well as other providers such as Udemy.

I’m going to take some time and try out a few of resources on offer. I’ll let you know how I go developing my understanding of prompt engineering.