Working with any AI can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it, all depending on how detailed — OR ACCURATE — a response you’re looking to get.
While some AIs are better at ensuring accurate responses than others, they all suffer from a programmed desire to make something up. As others have said, Chatbots aren’t smart — they’re just really good at creating sentences.
So to get the best response out of your AI chatbot response, here are 50 things to keep in mind as you formulate your request:
- Context: Provide the necessary background or context for the AI to understand the prompt.
- Tone: Specify the desired tone of the response, such as formal, informal, technical, persuasive, etc.
- Audience: Define the target audience for the response, as it may influence the language and level of complexity.
- Purpose: Clearly state the purpose or goal of the response to guide the AI’s output.
- Constraints: Set any limitations or restrictions on the response, such as word count, specific topics to include or avoid, etc.
- Language Style: Determine the preferred language style, like professional, conversational, academic, or creative.
- Sentiment: Indicate the desired sentiment or emotional tone the response should convey.
- Accuracy: Specify the level of accuracy required in the response, whether it should be strictly factual or allow for some creative interpretation.
- Examples: Provide relevant examples or sample responses to help guide the AI’s understanding and output.
- Open-endedness: Specify whether the response should be open-ended or provide a definitive answer.
- Timeframe: If relevant, indicate whether the response should consider a specific time period or timeframe.
- Multimodality: If the AI supports it, specify whether the response should include text, images, audio, or other media types.
- Localization: Indicate any specific cultural or regional considerations that should be incorporated into the response.
- Personalization: If applicable, provide personal details or preferences that the AI can utilize in tailoring the response.
- Level of Detail: Specify the desired level of detail in the response, whether it should be high-level or in-depth.
- Ethical Considerations: Highlight any ethical guidelines or boundaries the AI should adhere to when generating the response.
- Branding: If the response is associated with a brand or organization, provide guidelines for maintaining the brand’s voice and values.
- Accessibility: Consider any accessibility requirements, such as making the response easily understandable to a diverse audience.
- Logical Flow: Outline the logical structure or sequence that the response should follow, if applicable.
- Avoiding Bias: Request the AI to generate a response that is unbiased and free from stereotypes or discrimination.
- Cross-referencing: If the AI has access to multiple sources, specify whether it should cross-reference information or opinions.
- Multiple Perspectives: Indicate whether the response should consider and present different viewpoints or opinions on the topic.
- Controversial Topics: Inform the AI about any sensitivities or controversial subjects to handle with care.
- Language Register: Define the appropriate language register, such as formal, informal, technical, or colloquial, to be used in the response.
- Verifiability: Specify whether the response should include verifiable facts or if it can provide speculative or hypothetical information.
- Creative Freedom: Specify the extent to which the AI can deviate from strict factual information and provide creative or imaginative responses.
- Expertise Level: Indicate whether the response should be tailored for beginners, intermediate, or advanced users in the topic or domain.
- Sarcasm or Humor: Specify whether the response should incorporate sarcasm, humor, or wit.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Provide guidelines for the AI to be culturally sensitive and avoid potential offensive or inappropriate content.
- Geographical Relevance: If the response involves location-specific information, specify the relevant geographical area or region.
- Technical Accuracy: If the response pertains to technical subjects, specify the level of technical accuracy required.
- Emotional Impact: Indicate the desired emotional impact of the response, such as inspiring, reassuring, motivating, etc.
- Narrative Style: Specify whether the response should adopt a narrative storytelling style.
- Data Privacy: If personal data is involved in the response, ensure the AI handles it in compliance with privacy regulations.
- Currency: Specify whether the response should consider the most up-to-date information or can rely on historical data.
- Inclusivity: Provide guidance to ensure the response is inclusive of different genders, ethnicities, religions, abilities, etc.
- Source Evaluation: Instruct the AI to evaluate and provide information from reputable or specific sources.
- Comparative Analysis: If applicable, instruct the AI to compare and contrast different options or scenarios.
- Urgency: Indicate whether the response should be generated quickly or if thoroughness is prioritized over speed.
- Legal Compliance: Ensure that the AI-generated response adheres to relevant laws, regulations, and copyrights.
- Specific Formatting: If the response requires specific formatting, such as bullet points, headings, or citations, specify those requirements.
- User Interaction: If the AI response is part of a conversational system, specify how the AI should handle user queries or follow-up questions.
- Feedback Loop: Enable a feedback mechanism to refine the AI’s responses over time based on user evaluations.
- Domain Knowledge: If the response involves a specific domain, provide the AI with relevant background knowledge to improve accuracy.
- Technical Jargon: Indicate whether the response should include or avoid technical jargon depending on the intended audience.
- Language Variants: If the AI supports multiple languages or dialects, specify the desired language variant for the response.
- Target Length: Provide a specific word count or desired response length for the AI-generated output.
- Brand Alignment: Ensure that the AI response aligns with the brand’s values, mission, and messaging.
- Industry Relevance: If the response pertains to a particular industry, specify the industry context to enhance accuracy.
- Opinion vs. Fact: Clarify whether the AI response should present objective facts or can incorporate subjective opinions.
And a 51st bonus item? Specify the type of output you want the AI to output — is it just text, or are you looking for a graphical, audio, or visual output (depending on the AI platform you’re using).
