Write your first AI prompt
A precise, five-step walkthrough for writing a message that gets you a genuinely useful answer from any AI assistant.
Outcome
A repeatable way to ask AI for what you actually want.
A 'prompt' is just the message you type. A good prompt is specific about four things: what you want, who it's for, what to include, and what the result should look like.
- 1
Say what you want
Start with the task: 'Write a...', 'Explain...', 'Make a list of...'.
- 2
Say who it's for
'for a 6-year-old', 'for a beginner', 'for my grandmother' changes the answer a lot.
- 3
Add the important details
Names, topic, length, and anything that must be included.
- 4
Describe the result
'Keep it under 100 words', 'use simple sentences', 'give me three options'.
- 5
Refine
If it's not right, say what to change: 'shorter', 'friendlier', 'add an example'.
Weak: 'Write a story.' Strong: 'Write a gentle 5-sentence bedtime story for a 4-year-old who loves trains, with a calm ending.'
βΏ Accessibility
- Each step is short and can be read aloud.
Related tools
Next steps
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What is generative AI, in plain words?
A jargon-free explanation of generative AI: what it is, what it's good and bad at, and how to use it sensibly β no technical background needed.
Prompt
A prompt is simply the instruction or question you give an AI. Clearer prompts β saying what you want, who it's for, and what the result should look like β get better answers.