The Hidden Complexity of Prompt Engineering
Jonathan Chew
LinkedIn AI Top Voice (2023-24) | AI & Revenue Strategist @ Brandrev | AI Insider Newsletter | Executive MBA | MSc AI & ML Mgmt | PostGrad Data Science & Solutions Architecture | PCert Marketing Science & IP Strategy
How Small Changes Can Make or Break AI Performance
AI doesn’t just magically understand what we mean—it responds based on the way we ask. The latest research in prompt engineering shows that even slight changes can make AI more (or less) effective.
Here’s what we’ve uncovered:
Benchmarking AI: No One-Size-Fits-All Approach
AI performance isn’t just about getting the right answer—it’s about how often and under what conditions. Researchers tested GPT-4o across 198 PhD-level questions and found that AI accuracy varies dramatically based on:
Key Takeaway: Benchmarking AI isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Different standards lead to different conclusions about how "good" an AI really is.
The Power of a Well-Crafted Prompt
Think asking AI nicely will get you better answers? Maybe. Maybe not.
Researchers tested different prompting styles:
What happened? Surprisingly, politeness made a difference—sometimes. In some cases, being polite boosted performance, while in others, it reduced accuracy.
So what works best? The real MVP was structured formatting—explicitly telling AI how to respond improved results consistently. Removing the structure made responses less reliable.
The Science of Effective AI Prompts
Here’s what we know for sure about making AI more useful:
Bottom Line: There’s no universal "best" way to prompt AI. Experimentation is key to getting the most accurate and useful responses.
Our Thoughts: AI Isn’t Magic—It’s All About Strategy
This research proves that AI performance is contingent on how you use it. If you're working with AI—whether in business, education, or research—mastering prompt engineering can be the difference between an average AI and a high-performing one.
Freedom Lifestyle Designer: From bank COO to helping people & businesses unlock new opportunities
3 天前Sounds just like humans ??