Hello everyone, and welcome to the first article of Building with AI #1.
As part of my digital marketing studies here in Shanghai, I need to produce a series of articles related to the field. So, I decided to focus on AI, which I find to be an incredibly exciting subject. Exciting for many reasons, but mainly because, for me, AI will allow anyone to turn their ideas into reality. And, since I have quite a few ideas myself, I have to admit, I’m thrilled about it! 🙂
For me, ChatGPT is a powerful ally for boosting creativity and exploring new ideas. Whether you’re brainstorming a fresh project, looking for content inspiration, or testing business concepts, ChatGPT can help you open up new perspectives. It also excels at content creation: from writing articles, social media posts, and newsletters to video scripts, ChatGPT produces fluid and structured text, ideal for those looking to publish without feeling stuck for ideas. But, of course, you need to ask it the right way… which we’ll get into a little later in the article.
Beyond drafting, ChatGPT can also enhance and refine your writing, making it clearer and error-free, even adjusting the tone to suit a professional context. With ChatGPT-4, now connected to the internet, it’s incredibly helpful for quick information gathering. It provides you with structured and straightforward answers, perfect for getting a rapid overview on specific topics.
Lastly, if you want to develop new skills or delve deeper into a subject, ChatGPT can act as a mentor by answering your questions, offering clear explanations, and letting you advance at your own pace.
These are just some example uses, but to effectively integrate AI into our lives, we need to communicate with it well—to prompt it well. In this article, we’ll go over step one, which will help you understand AI and craft strong prompts.
We’ll focus exclusively on ChatGPT for consistency, though the basics are quite similar with other AI tools we’ll cover later. So, let’s dive into an introduction to ChatGPT to build a solid foundation. ChatGPT is software developed by OpenAI that appeared two years ago, revolutionizing AI by creating a user-friendly interface that allows anyone to use AI with just an internet connection.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to create your ChatGPT account. Once you’re in ChatGPT and want it to perform a task for you, there’s a series of steps to follow. Here’s an infographic I created just for you to help remember it; feel free to save it.
For our example, let’s say we want AI to create an effective campaign plan to boost our Instagram.
Understand ChatGPT
Beyond drafting, ChatGPT can also enhance and refine your writing, making it clearer and error-free, even adjusting the tone to suit a professional context. With ChatGPT-4, now connected to the internet, it’s incredibly helpful for quick information gathering. It provides you with structured and straightforward answers, perfect for getting a rapid overview on specific topics.
Lastly, if you want to develop new skills or delve deeper into a subject, ChatGPT can act as a mentor by answering your questions, offering clear explanations, and letting you advance at your own pace.
These are just some example uses, but to effectively integrate AI into our lives, we need to communicate with it well—to prompt it well. In this article, we’ll go over step one, which will help you understand AI and craft strong prompts.
We’ll focus exclusively on ChatGPT for consistency, though the basics are quite similar with other AI tools we’ll cover later. So, let’s dive into an introduction to ChatGPT to build a solid foundation. ChatGPT is software developed by OpenAI that appeared two years ago, revolutionizing AI by creating a user-friendly interface that allows anyone to use AI with just an internet connection.
Different steps to follow
Step One: Assign a role. AI needs to know who you need it to be. In this case, you could tell it, “As a Social Media Expert…” The goal is to set a framework and give it an angle to respond from.
Step Two: Write a clear description. In a simple and effective way, ask it for what you need, just as you would ask a human. Take your time, make it as long as you want, but avoid unnecessary information. Be as precise and concise as possible. For example: “Explain how to create an effective campaign to boost engagement on Instagram.”
Step Three: Ask for the format or tone. Tell it you want a one-paragraph response, a detailed guide, something concise, bullet points—whatever you prefer! This helps it structure its thoughts as you wish and deliver the answer in the best way for you.
Now… send your prompt!
Wait for the response, and after this step, you’re officially in a conversation with AI. Now you need to adjust your request in real time.
Step Four: Adjust in Real Time. For example, “I don’t like this part you mentioned; can you expand on this other part?” The goal is to ask for improvements or adjustments, over and over again.
Step Five: Optimize. Keep the conversation going, diving deeper into the information or actions you’re looking for. Try a new direction, or ask it to change the tone.
Step Six: Discuss with AI. Have fun with it, get into the flow, ask for its opinion, and enter a real discussion to get the answer that best matches your needs. Its response might lead to more questions, so take the opportunity to ask for advice in the field you’re exploring.
These six steps, in my view, are the most effective way to get responses that closely match your expectations. The first part of this infographic helps you kickstart your prompt, and then the discussion phase is about fine-tuning it.
I highly recommend using AI daily to understand how it works. Sometimes, the goal is simply to have fun, and for that, the voice function (when you download ChatGPT on your computer) is amazing—you really feel like you’re talking to a human.
Let yourself go, and try out new tools each day. You’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors if you learn to prompt well and build the habit of using AI.
Thank you for reading the first Building with AI. More articles are coming soon, but I thought starting with the basics—the Prompt—was a good place to begin!