Not sure how to get the most out of AI like Bard and ChatGPT? – here are prompts to get you started

It’s crazy that to this day, even though we have been Googling for years, most of us don’t know how to properly use Google. It’s not an indictment or anything, it’s just reality, even if some feel offended by that fact.

You can imagine how much more we don’t know how to properly use these brand-spanking new generative AIs like ChatGPT and Bard. So, we might as well get into it and talk about some of the prompts you might want to use to get the best out of these AIs.

I know I’m not getting the best out of AI and a conversation I had recently showed me that very few of us are. Outside of coders, most people seem to be using AI for jokes, poems and stuff like that. Someone asked me what the big deal was about generative AI. It’s all just Google in a chat-like format, they said.

That’s not the case. Let’s dive in.

Tips in general

I asked both Bard and Bing AI how to get the best out of them. Bard was more helpful and it gave out the following response. It applies to other AI as well.

• Be specific. The more specific you are in your prompts, the better Bard will be able to understand what you are looking for. For example, instead of asking “What is the best way to make money?”, you could ask “What are the most profitable businesses to start in 2023?”
• Use examples. If you can, provide examples to help Bard understand what you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a poem about love, you could provide examples of poems that you like.
• Be clear about your desired outcome. What do you want Bard to do with your prompt? Do you want it to generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, or answer your questions in an informative way?
• Be patient. Bard is still under development, so it may not always be able to generate perfect results. If you are not happy with the first result, try rephrasing your prompt or providing more examples.

Take the “Be patient” note seriously. These AI will lie to you with all the confidence in the world. So, as someone recently told me, if you want detailed information on complex topics, only ask AI on topics you are already familiar with. Otherwise, you could be misled, badly.

Examples of prompts you can use

Bard had a terrible start but it’s slowly become better than the ChatGPT-powered Bing AI, in some areas at least. Here are some useful Bard prompts you can tweak to get the best out of Bard. They have been shared around but you might have missed them.

These are all jumbled, to give you an idea of the things you can ask Bard and how you could word your prompts.

Automating Repetitive Tasks

Prompt: “I regularly perform these tasks: [insert tasks]. Identify which of these tasks can be automated and suggest tools or methods for automation.”

Business competitor analysis

Prompt: “Analyse the online presence of [insert competitor here]. What strategies are they using that seem to be effective?”

Industry-specific learning

Prompt: “I want to stay updated about [insert industry]. Find the latest articles, research papers, and resources about this industry and summarise the key points.”

Project research

Prompt: “I’m starting a project on [insert topic]. Could you compile a list of the most recent articles, papers, and resources about this topic?”

Performance comparison

Prompt: “Create a graph or chart comparing the performance of [thing 1] and [thing 2] based on objective data such as speed, accuracy, reliability or efficiency.”

Market Analysis Comparison

Prompt: “Conduct a market analysis of [thing 1] and [thing 2], examining factors such as market demand, market size, market share, competition, and growth potential.”

Essay Topics

Prompt: “Generate a list of potential essay topics for [assignment name], along with a brief outline of main points to be discussed.”

Skill Learning Plan

Prompt 1: “Design a step-by-step learning plan for mastering [insert skill here], including recommended resources and timelines.”

2: “Create a skill development roadmap that outlines the necessary steps and milestones for acquiring and mastering [insert skill here]

3: I want to improve my skills in [insert skill]. Could you find the best-rated online courses, tutorials, or resources for learning this skill? Also, suggest a learning path for the same.”

Establishing a business

Prompt: “Go into great detail about how to prepare a good business proposal for a [insert what business is about]. Give examples of the headings and subheadings I should use. Also, give examples of what the text body could look like.”

Random prompts

• “What are the top trends in digital marketing for this year?”
• “Give a beginner’s guide to investing in cryptocurrency.”
• “How to write a persuasive sales pitch?”
• “Help me write a resume for a job I’m applying for.”

We can’t go through them all. However, the ones above should give you an idea of how you can get the most out of Bard. Some of the prompts above will work well with Bing AI or ChatGPT if you have access, some won’t be as good as Bard’s.

I left out coders’ prompts, I think those have been shared ad nauseum.

Please do share some of the prompts that have been golden for you in the comments section below. Let’s help each other use the full might of generative AI.

Also read:

Bing AI seems to be doing a better job at this AI stuff than Bard AI

Gmail writes emails for you and Google Photos gives ‘Photoshop powers’ to everyone now

It’s all about AI and the Pixels in today’s weekly tech news summary, 12 May

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