Learn in the textbookGenerative Models and Large Language Models
DefinitionPrompt engineering (プロンプトエンジニアリング) is the technique of refining how you write the instructions (prompts) given to a generative AI so that it produces output that fits your goal.
ExplanationEven with the same model, output quality varies greatly depending on how specific the instructions are and how the background is presented. Typical techniques include stating up front what role the AI should play, breaking the task into small steps, and specifying that the answer come as a table or bullet points. People also often look at the output and revise the instructions over many rounds of trial and error.
AnalogyIt is like briefing someone you are working with for the first time: tell them the purpose, the deadline, and what the finished product should look like, and what you get back will be much closer to what you wanted.
Memory hookPrompt is the same word as the theater prompter who whispers cues to actors, and here it means a person handing the AI a cue to start writing.