Pop quiz. Which is the better AI prompt?

Christopher S. Penn

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“Think carefully, then show your answer and your explanation.”

“Think carefully, explain your answer, then show it.”

Believe it or not, as illogical as it is to us, the second version is the better one. Here’s why. Under the hood, AI models are doing prediction, predicting the next thing in a sequence based on everything that’s happened before it.

One of the fundamental truths of the transformers architecture that powers so much of generative AI like ChatGPT and similar tools is that predictions improve as the model creates output, because every output becomes part of the next input.

Every word that either you prompt or that AI creates helps predict the next word. That’s why AI is so computationally intensive and expensive – it’s doing massive calculations to predict the next item in the sequence. And the next prediction makes for a better prediction after that.

Which means here’s what’s happening, in these two prompts:

Prompt 1:

(Prompt) → (Answer) → (Explanation)

Prompt 2:

(Prompt) → (Explanation) → (Answer)

In Prompt 1, the answer helps to create a better explanation.

In Prompt 2, the explanation helps to create a better answer.

As you build with AI, understanding its fundamental underpinnings helps you make the most of the technology. Asking it to explain first, answer second leverages the way the machines work.

AI #GenerativeAI #GenAI #ChatGPT #ArtificialIntelligence #LargeLanguageModels #MachineLearning #IntelligenceRevolution

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About the author

Christopher S. Penn is one of the world’s leading experts on AI in marketing. He has over a decade of experience in classical AI, regression AI, classification AI, and generative AI. He is the co‑founder and Chief Data Scientist of Trust Insights (trustinsights.ai), a world‑leading AI management consulting firm. Penn has authored books such as The Intelligence Revolution and AI for Marketers: An Introduction and Primer, and he is an internationally renowned AI keynote speaker. He is frequently recommended as the go‑to expert on AI and AI in marketing.