Prompt Engineering 101: Pitfalls & Challenges

Identify common pitfalls and challenges

Photo by Nathan Cima on Unsplash

Hey there! If you’ve ever used ChatGPT, you know how fascinating and helpful it can be. But you’ve also probably encountered moments where the responses were not quite what you were expecting.

Don’t worry; you’re not alone. The art of crafting perfect prompts is something that even experts struggle with at times. So, grab a cup of coffee and join me for a laid-back chat about prompt engineering, where we’ll explore some common pitfalls and challenges you might face and, more importantly, learn how to avoid them.

Vague or ambiguous prompts: The path to irrelevance

Imagine you’re talking to a friend and asking, “What’s the thing?” There’s a good chance you’ll get a response like, “What thing?” or “What are you talking about?” That’s because your question is vague and ambiguous. It’s the same with ChatGPT.

If your prompt is unclear or too open-ended, ChatGPT will try its best to come up with something, but it might not be what you were looking for. To avoid this pitfall, be specific and concise with your prompts. Think about the information you want and make sure your prompt reflects that.

Overly complex or lengthy prompts: The…