Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become part of everyday life — from chatbots answering your questions to apps creating artwork or helping you write code. But to get the best results from these tools, you need to know how to “talk” to them. This is where the concept of prompting comes in. A prompt is simply the instructions or question you give an AI so it knows what to do. The clearer and more specific your prompt, the better the AI’s output.
Prompting can feel intimidating at first, especially if you’re not a technical person. But here’s the good news: anyone can learn how to write good prompts! You don’t need to understand how the AI works behind the scenes — you just need to learn how to give clear, detailed instructions, just like you would when asking for help from a human assistant. This guide is here to walk you through the basics.
There are many different AI platforms available today, and each one is designed to do something slightly different. Some are great at writing stories or summaries, some specialize in creating images, and others are experts at coding or answering factual questions. Knowing which tool to use (and how to prompt it) will save you time and help you get much better results.
To make things easier, I’ve put together a table of the top 15 AI platforms, what they’re best at, and how you should craft your prompts for each one. For example, ChatGPT (by OpenAI) is fantastic at general writing, summaries, and conversations, while MidJourney and DALL·E are amazing at creating visual art from detailed descriptions. Each platform also has its own official documentation with tips, which I’ve linked for you in the table.
| # | AI Platform | Specialty | Best at Producing | Key Prompt Ingredients for Best Results | Prompting Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | General-purpose language model | Conversations, essays, summaries, code, research | Clear task description, role context (e.g., “You are a medical expert”), format preference (bullet points, markdown), tone/style, constraints (word count, style), examples if needed | OpenAI Prompt Engineering Guide |
| 2 | Claude (Anthropic) | Safety-focused conversational AI | Long-form writing, summaries, ethical reasoning | Explicit moral/safety boundaries, detailed context, input examples, style/tone request, outcome expectations, follow-up cues | Anthropic Prompt Engineering Overview |
| 3 | Gemini (Google DeepMind) | Search-integrated multimodal AI | Factual queries, web-connected insights, code | Specificity of topic, search scope (current data vs. general), visual or text preference, examples, explicit instruction on citations or references | Gemini Prompt Design Strategies |
| 4 | Llama (Meta) | Open-source language model | Research, text generation, academic tasks | Precise academic style, context on audience, paper structure, references to incorporate, examples from existing literature | Llama Prompt Formats |
| 5 | Perplexity AI | Conversational search with sources | Factual research, multi-source summaries, citations | Explicit query phrasing, request for citation detail, scope (breadth vs. depth), summary style (bullet vs. paragraph), desired sources (scholarly, news, etc.) | Perplexity Prompt Guide |
Now, you might be wondering: What makes a “good” prompt? The trick is to be clear, specific, and purposeful. For example, instead of asking “Tell me about dogs,” you could say “Summarize the top five most popular dog breeds, their personalities, and why people choose them, in bullet points.” The second prompt gives the AI a clear task, structure, and expectation — and you’ll get a much better result.
Across all platforms, some universal best practices apply. Always define what you want, how you want it delivered (paragraph, bullet list, table, etc.), and any limits like word count, tone, or style. For more complex tasks, adding examples or extra background information helps the AI understand your expectations even more. And remember: if you don’t like the first result, you can always refine your prompt and try again!
Let’s look at a few sample prompts — showing a mediocre version and a stronger, more precise version — for the top five AI platforms. This will help you understand how to shift from vague instructions to clear, focused ones.
1️⃣ ChatGPT (OpenAI)
- Mediocre: “Tell me about dogs.”
- Improved: “Summarize the top five most popular dog breeds, their personalities, and why people choose them, in bullet points.”
(→ Clear scope, format, and purpose = better focus.)
2️⃣ Claude (Anthropic)
- Mediocre: “Explain climate change.”
- Improved: “Write a 300-word explanation of climate change’s ethical implications on future generations, using simple language.”
(→ Sets word count, ethical focus, audience level.)
3️⃣ Gemini (Google DeepMind)
- Mediocre: “What happened yesterday in tech news?”
- Improved: “List three verified news stories from yesterday’s tech headlines, each with a one-sentence summary and a reputable source link.”
(→ Narrows time, number, and output structure.)
4️⃣ Llama (Meta)
- Mediocre: “Write a research paper.”
- Improved: “Draft a 500-word research summary on renewable energy’s impact on rural economies, citing at least two peer-reviewed sources.”
(→ Provides topic, length, and citation type.)
5️⃣ Perplexity AI
- Mediocre: “What’s the best smartphone?”
- Improved: “Compare the top three flagship smartphones (2025 models) by camera quality, battery life, and price, including links to sources.”
(→ Defines comparison factors and adds source expectation.)
Final Thoughts
The key to becoming an AI power user is practice. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different prompt styles, adjust your wording, or even ask the AI how best to prompt it — many tools now give meta-guidance! By learning to communicate clearly, you’ll unlock the true potential of these incredible platforms, making them useful partners in everything from daily tasks to creative projects. Happy prompting!
Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity Blog
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