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Are we making prompt engineering unnecessarily complicated, when the basic skill is simply knowing what to ask, how to ask and how to evaluate the answer?

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SANJEET TERI
Community Champion
Consultant| Timely Nexus Project LLP Greater NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh, India

Prompt engineering is often presented as a specialised technical skill. But at its basic level, isn't it simply about communicating clearly what we want?

When we assign work to a subordinate, we explain the task, provide context, set expectations and ask for the desired output. We do something similar when giving instructions to AI.

The difference is that AI requires more precise instructions, context and sometimes repeated refinement. It also does not have human judgement or an understanding of organisational context in the same way a person does.

Are we making prompt engineering unnecessarily complicated, when the basic skill is simply knowing what to ask, how to ask and how to evaluate the answer?
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Lissette Indhira Pimentel Sosa
Community Champion
Program Manager| HARPER SRL Santo Domingo / Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
Sanjeet, we've sometimes made prompt engineering sound more complicated than it needs to be. For everyday tasks, clear instructions, relevant context, and critical evaluation can go a long way.
However, when AI becomes part of business processes, consistency, data protection, and reliability introduce additional complexity. Knowing how to ask is valuable, but knowing when an answer cannot be trusted is equally important.

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"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."

- Chinese Proverb

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