Prompt Engineering Essentials

Cheatsheet Content

1. Introduction to Prompt Engineering Prompt engineering is the art and science of crafting inputs (prompts) to guide Large Language Models (LLMs) towards desired outputs. 1.1 What is Prompt Engineering? Analogy: Like whispering ideas to a gifted artist, offering direction without stifling creativity. Definition: A query, directive, or example given to an LLM that sets context, clarifies tasks, and provides an answer framework. Purpose: To adjust language, provide particulars, and apply strategies for creative, convincing, or educational LLM output. Forms: Conditional restrictions, system-defined instructions, or natural language. 1.2 Components of a Prompt Instructions Context Input data Output indicator 1.3 Why is Prompt Engineering Vital? Increased Precision & Management: Directs LLMs towards pertinent and factually correct outcomes. Enhanced Uniqueness & Creativity: Ignites imagination, producing novel and surprising results. Democratizing AI: Makes LLMs accessible to users without deep technical knowledge. Reaching Beyond Limits: Helps LLMs achieve full potential beyond pre-programmed limits. 2. Evolution of Prompt Engineering 2.1 Antecedents ELIZA (1966): Early chatbot that imitated therapeutic discussion using keyword and pattern matching. SHRDLU (1970s): Natural language system dependent on human orders, reasoning about blocks in a virtual environment. 2.2 Early Emergence Mad Hatter Dialogue Systems (1990s): Jabberwacky and ALICE focused on humorous responses and open-ended questions. Template-based Approaches (2000s): Madalyn and Galatea used user data to fill predefined templates for story generation. 2.3 The Rise of Large Language Models Transformer Revolution (2017): Enabled potent LLMs (GPT-3, Jurassic-1) with vast knowledge and human-quality text generation. Adjusting & Adjusting (2020s): Rapid progress in optimizing LLMs for specific activities and context adaptation using few-shot learning and conditional generation. 3. Types of Prompts Natural Language Prompts: Mimic human-like directions, enabling natural interaction. System Prompts: Pre-written guidelines or templates for structured output and behavior. Conditional Prompts: Subject the model to specific limitations or contexts, e.g., "If X, then Y." 4. How Does Prompt Engineering Work? An intricate and recursive process; no one-size-fits-all method. Broad principles include: Thorough Task Comprehension: Understand expectations and desired results. Precise & Succinct Terminology: Clear, straightforward language; avoid jargon. Detailed Instructions: Higher specificity leads to more pertinent responses. Provide Examples: Samples of desired output help the LLM understand goals. Experimentation: Test various prompts and observe outcomes to find what works best. 5. Future of LLM Communication Specialist Prompting Languages: Programs to guide LLMs effectively. Control & Explainability: Understanding how prompts affect results is crucial for complex LLMs. Ethical Considerations: Address bias, justice, and manipulation in prompt design. Automated Prompt Generation: LLMs could generate prompts automatically. Adaptive Prompts: Prompts that adjust based on user interactions. Tackling Intricate Activities: Addressing subtle cues for complex tasks. 6. Advantages of Prompt Engineering Question Answering: More accurate factual responses. Creative Writing: Produces imaginative stories, poetry, scripts. Machine Translation: Increases precision of language translations. Coding: Generates more precise and effective code. 7. Prompt Engineering Techniques for ChatGPT 7.1 Instructions Prompt Technique Provides specific instructions for the model to follow, aligning generated text with desired objectives. E.g., "responses should be professional." 7.2 Zero, One, and Few Shot Prompting Enhances LLM capabilities by providing varying degrees of contextual information. Zero Shot Prompting: No specific examples or training data provided; LLM relies on internal knowledge (e.g., "Write a poem about nature"). One Shot Prompting: A single example is provided to guide the LLM's response (e.g., summarize a paragraph with a single sentence example). Few Shot Prompting: A small number of relevant examples are given to help the LLM understand the task nuances and generate more accurate responses. 7.3 Self-Consistency Prompt Ensures coherence and logical consistency of generated text by including key information, statements, or facts that the LLM must adhere to. Helps maintain consistency in complex discussions (e.g., climate change with scientific data). 8. Prompt Gallery: Categories 8.1 Text Generation Prompts Empower LLMs to produce text in various formats and styles (narratives, essays, product descriptions, poetry). "Write a dialogue between two old friends who haven't seen each other in years, meeting unexpectedly in a bustling city café." 8.2 Text Classification - Sentiment Analysis Prompts Guide models in assessing sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) in text. Useful for market research, customer feedback. "Classify the sentiment of the following review: 'The new restaurant in town exceeded all my expectations...'" 8.3 Text Classification - Sentiment Rating Prompts Instruct models to assign a numerical rating to sentiment (e.g., 1 to 5 stars). Provides nuanced analysis beyond simple categorization. "On a scale of 1 to 5, rate the sentiment of the following review: 'The new restaurant in town exceeded all my expectations...'" 8.4 Information Extraction - Entity Extraction Prompts Guide models to identify and extract specific entities (people, organizations, locations) from text. Useful for named entity recognition, document indexing. "Identify and extract all the named entities from the following text: 'Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced plans...'" 8.5 Information Extraction - Relation Extraction Prompts Enable models to identify and extract relationships between entities. Useful for knowledge graph construction, information retrieval. "Identify and extract the relationship between entities in the following text: 'Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced plans...'" 8.6 Question Answering - Closed-Domain QA Prompts Direct models to answer specific questions within a predefined domain or topic. Useful for customer support bots. "Given the passage 'The Mona Lisa is a famous portrait painting...', answer the following question: 'Where is the Mona Lisa currently located?'" 8.7 Question Answering - Open-Domain QA Prompts Task models to answer questions across diverse topics/domains, leveraging general knowledge. Useful for general information retrieval, educational platforms. "Provide an answer based on your knowledge: 'What is the capital city of Australia?'" 8.8 Text Summarization Prompts Guide models in condensing longer texts into concise summaries while preserving key information. Useful for document summarization, news aggregation. "Summarize the following passage into a concise paragraph: 'The Industrial Revolution was a period of major economic and technological change...'" 8.9 Keywords Extraction Prompts Instruct models to identify and extract significant terms or phrases. Useful for content tagging, search engine optimization, document indexing. "Extract the keywords from the following passage: 'Climate change is a pressing global issue...'" 8.10 Text Editing Prompts Guide models in revising text for clarity, coherence, or style (grammar correction, sentence restructuring, vocabulary enrichment). "Edit the following passage for clarity and conciseness: 'The new restaurant, which is located in the heart of the city...'" 8.11 Text Translation Prompts Direct models to translate text from one language to another. Essential for multilingual content localization, language translation services. "Translate the following passage from English to Spanish: 'The sun is shining brightly in the clear blue sky...'" 8.12 Text Transliteration Prompts Guide models in converting text from one writing system to another while preserving pronunciation. Useful for names, terms, or phrases between languages. "Transliterate the following passage from Arabic script to Roman script: 'السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته'" 9. Prompts for Creative Thinking Designed to ignite imagination, spark innovative ideas, and overcome mental blocks. 9.1 Unlocking Imagination and Innovation Prompts to encourage brainstorming, embrace failure, and foster curiosity within organizations. How can unlocking creativity lead to breakthrough innovations? The impact of a creative mindset on problem-solving and innovation. Strategies for cultivating a culture of innovation through imagination. The role of play and experimentation in stimulating imagination for innovation. Inspiring a sense of wonder to fuel creative thinking in the workplace. Can education systems enhance or inhibit imagination and innovation? How embracing failure can foster a culture of innovation through imagination. Integrating technology to amplify creative thinking and innovation. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in unlocking innovation. The role of leadership in fostering a culture of imagination and innovation. 9.2 Brainstorming Prompts for Problem Solving Curated selection to facilitate effective brainstorming and problem-solving sessions. Addressing the challenges of [specific industry] through innovative problem-solving. How can we optimize [specific process] for increased efficiency and effectiveness? Brainstorm solutions to enhance customer satisfaction in [industry/sector]. Identifying and overcoming obstacles to successful project implementation. Improving team communication and collaboration for better problem-solving. Strategies to reduce costs and increase profitability in [specific business area]. Brainstorming ideas to enhance employee morale and job satisfaction. Developing innovative approaches to [specific market] expansion. Solving environmental sustainability challenges in [industry/sector]. Addressing cybersecurity concerns and ensuring data protection. 9.3 Inspiring Prompts for Artistic Expression Selection designed to ignite creativity and encourage artistic exploration across various mediums. Create an artwork that represents the beauty of diversity and inclusivity. Illustrate a moment of personal triumph and resilience through art. Express the harmony between nature and technology in a visual composition. Capture the essence of a favorite childhood memory through your artistic medium. Create a piece that conveys the emotions of courage and bravery. Illustrate the concept of time travel through a visual storytelling artwork. Use color and form to depict the energy of a bustling cityscape. Craft an artwork inspired by a piece of literature that has profoundly impacted you. Illustrate the interconnectedness of all living things in a nature-inspired piece. Create a visual representation of the music that moves and inspires you. 10. Prompts for Effective Writing Guidance to enhance writing skills and foster creative expression. 10.1 Igniting the Writing Process with Prompts Strategies to fuel creativity, overcome obstacles, and refine storytelling skills. Explore the concept of time travel in a short story or essay. Write about a character who discovers a hidden world within everyday objects. Describe a day in the life of someone living on a different planet. Use a photograph as inspiration to craft a short story or poem. Write about a moment of serendipity that changes a character's life. Imagine a world where emotions are tangible and can be exchanged between people. Create a story inspired by a vivid dream you've had recently. Write a letter from your present self to your future self. Craft a dialogue between two characters who communicate without speaking. Explore the concept of a forbidden library with magical books. 10.2 Prompts for Overcoming Writer's Block Selection to reignite inspiration and overcome creative stagnation. Explore the concept of a character who is also experiencing writer's block. Write about a character who finds inspiration in unexpected places. Describe a writing exercise that helps break through creative barriers. Create a story where the protagonist battles a literal representation of writer's block. Write a dialogue between two characters discussing strategies for overcoming creative obstacles. Describe a character who turns to nature to find inspiration and overcome writer's block. Write about a writer who discovers a magical pen that dispels writer's block. Explore the idea of a character seeking advice from a mentor to overcome creative stagnation. Write a letter to yourself offering encouragement and motivation during a writing slump. Describe a character who finds inspiration through travel and new experiences. 10.3 Prompts for Developing Narrative Skills Structured approach to enhancing storytelling abilities and narrative proficiency. Craft a story about a character who discovers a mysterious object with unique powers. Write a narrative set in a future world where technology has transformed daily life. Create a story that explores the concept of time travel and its consequences. Develop a narrative around a character overcoming a personal fear or phobia. Write a story set in a magical realm where animals possess human-like qualities. Explore the challenges and triumphs of a character's journey to self-discovery. Develop a story centered around a misunderstood villain and their redemption arc. Write about a character who uncovers a family secret that changes their life. Create a narrative set in a dystopian society where conformity is strictly enforced. Develop a story about a character's quest for a long-lost treasure.