Let AI help you get better at AI

Templates can help too

Did you know that AI can help you use AI more effectively? One of the biggest missed AI-related opportunities I see is that so few people use generative AI to coach them about how to improve they way they use AI. Generative AI (GAI) tools make for awesome coaches and tutors in many areas, including the you an example.

I use thumbnails to promote AI Goes to College articles on Substack. (You don't see these in the articles themselves.) I use DALL-E to create the images. Here's an example (sorry for the freakishly large eyes):

There's a certain look and feel that I like these images to have. After working through creating one of the images, it occurred to me that I can ask ChatGPT to create a template that would ensure that all of the images have a consistent style. So, that's what I did. ChatGPT had just produced the image above, and I followed up with this prompt.

This has worked really well so far. I put the template into TextExpander, but I could have just put it into a TextEdit or Notepad file to make it easy to retrieve. Then, when I need to create an image, I just change the parts in brackets to fit the situation, and I'm good to go.

Two larger points

The above is a good illustration of how you can use AI to help you better use AI, but there are two larger points here. First, you should always be willing to ask ChatGPT (or your tool of choice) how to improve your use. For example, suppose you've just had a long chat during which it took a lot of effort to get the output you wanted. Ask ChatGPT how you could have improved your initial prompts to get the desired results more efficiently. It's really just that simple. This one easy step, repeated over time, will vastly improve your GAI skills.

The second point is not entirely obvious. If you're not using prompt templates, you should be. If you find yourself using GAI to perform some task repeatedly, create a prompt template. (I need to get better at this, by the way.) I use TextExpander (https://textexpander.com/) for my templates, but as I mentioned earlier, you can use just about any text editor. My advice is to use TextEdit or Notepad to keep things simple but use whatever works for you. As you use GAI more and more, you'll develop quite a prompt library, which will make you MUCH more efficient. For bonus points, ask GAI how to improve your templates. Also, be sure to refine them as you go along and your skills improve.

Here's an example of a template that I use when using GAI to help me develop AI Goes to College articles. This is a different kind of template that's all instructions rather than the prompt itself. Maybe it's not really a prompt template, but it serves a similar purpose so I thought I'd share it. This kind of template is very helpful if you switch between different roles when using GAI. For example, sometimes I use GAI for AI Goes to College and sometimes I use it for my podcast, Live Well and Flourish (https://www.livewellandflourish.com/). The podcast is VERY different from this newsletter. Using this prompt keeps GAI on track with the right context. Here's the prompt I use to set the proper context.

I'm working on a newsletter and companion podcast called "AI Goes to College." The goal of the project is to help higher education professionals (faculty and staff) navigate generative AI (GAI) and its impacts on higher education. The newsletter and podcast will 1) inform the audience about recent relevant developments in GAI as it relates to higher education, 2) provide tips and hints about using GAI effectively and ethically, and 3) discuss important issues related to the intersection of GAI and higher education. Please use this description when developing your responses. Respond with only yes or no, indicating whether you understand these instructions.

I have this as a TextExpander snippet, so it's easy to put into any conversation. (If you're not familiar with TextExpander, check out this article: https://aigoestocollege.substack.com/p/ai-goes-to-college-no-4. The basic idea is that you can type in a short bit of text, and TextExpander will, as the name implies, expand the text.)

Keep it simple

Keep in mind that prompt templates do not need to be complicated. My image template is pretty simple. You may see people promoting long, complex prompt templates online. These have their place, but for most of us, simple templates are very effective.

Start building your prompt template library today. In a few weeks, you'll be glad you did.