The Starting Point: A Simple Idea
When I first started experimenting with AI, I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach it. I knew AI could provide answers and insights, but how do you even begin to ask the right questions? My initial thought was to keep it straightforward, so I typed:
“You are an expert in [topic].”
And that was it. No elaborate setup, no detailed instructions—just a quick introduction to get the conversation started. It worked well enough, but the results often felt a little generic or overly broad. It wasn’t bad, but it lacked the precision I was looking for.
I quickly realized that while AI is incredibly capable, it’s also a bit like a mirror. The quality of what you get out depends on the quality of what you put in. And as someone who thrives on precision and clarity, this was a challenge worth tackling.
The Realization: Asking Better Questions
After a few initial experiments, I started to notice something. While the AI could respond to basic prompts like “you are an expert in…” there was often something missing. The answers were helpful, sure, but they lacked depth or didn’t quite hit the mark.
That’s when it dawned on me—what if I could ask the AI to help improve the very questions I was asking? It felt a little meta, but it was worth a shot. I typed something like:
“Help me refine this prompt: ‘You are an expert in…’ to make it more detailed and effective.”
And suddenly, the game changed. The AI offered suggestions to make the prompt clearer, more specific, and better aligned with what I was trying to achieve. I could take those suggestions, tweak them, and ask again—iterating until the prompt was exactly what I needed. It was like working with a creative partner who didn’t mind endless revisions—or needed a coffee break halfway through.
