AI Glossary
What is Prompt?
The instruction or question you give to an AI tool. A clear prompt with context, a specific task and the format you want gets much better answers than a short, vague one.
Everything you type (or say) to an AI assistant is a prompt. It can be a question, an instruction, a document to work on, or all three.
Weak prompt: "Write a payment reminder."
Strong prompt: "You are an accounts executive. Write a polite payment reminder for invoice 2045 of ₹48,500, 15 days overdue, to a long-term customer. Under 120 words, with a subject line."
A simple formula for good prompts is Role, Task, Context, Format:
- Role: who should the AI act as?
- Task: what exactly do you want?
- Context: what background does it need?
- Format: how should the answer look?
Learn it step by step in Your First Useful Prompt, or see ready-made examples in 12 ChatGPT Prompts Every Office Worker Should Save.