Do you remember that Dr. Pepper commercial? “I’m a pepper. He’s a pepper. She’s a pepper. We’re a pepper. Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?” There needs to be a new version of this commercial about being an AI PROMPT ENGINEER.
🎶 “I’m an AI prompt engineer. He’s an AI prompt engineer. She’s an AI prompt engineer.”🎶
Okay, I admit it’s not quite the earworm of that iconic 1970s ad jingle. But while it’s possible you never became a Pepper, it’s nearly certain that you will soon become an AI prompt engineer.
The good news is that a prompt engineer requires no engineering skills whatsoever. As someone with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science, I can assure you of that. All you need is the ability to talk to a computer the way you would talk to a friend, a skill you’ve been honing ever since you first uttered the words, “Hey Siri.”
What is a prompt engineer? Coursera describes it this way:
"Prompt engineering is all about asking a language model [i.e. ChatGPT] better questions, giving it better instructions, and even assigning it a role so that it generates the output you want."
Last month I launched my own private version of ChatGPT focused specifically on the needs of several of my clients (with their permission, of course). Over the coming months, we’ll be A/B testing the writing and ideas provided by the GPT to see how it compares with our own work.
Of course, the GPT is not creating content all by itself. (Just in case you were concerned that I was engineering myself out of a job.) As an AI prompt engineer, I’m providing the GPT with a core writing framework that includes policy information, tone, voice, structure and approach. I’m also asking it to analyze KPI’s from previous performance data to help inform its decisions and refine its output.
If you or your organization aren’t ready to integrate AI into your work processes, I’d recommend starting your AI prompt engineer training with something more personal. You can ask it to create an itinerary for your next vacation or suggest a few dinner recipes based on the ingredients you already have in your refrigerator.
However, if you are interested in learning more about how we’re using AI to bolster our clients’ campaigns and expand our writing capacity, then send me a message or leave a note in the comments. I love talking about it.