In the current trajectory of technology development, it’s completely plausible that generative AI tools like Bing and ChatGPT will begin to blend into our daily workflows.
Bing and ChatGPT can “discuss” every subject one can think of. But to generate high quality, relevant and coherent output that is useful to organisations, you need prompt engineers, skilled human operators who know how to write the correct prompts to get the desired output.
Freelancers on online marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork currently feature specialists offering to put together finely tuned phrases to generate the desired results.
Generative AI search engines like PromptHero, Promptist and KREA claim they allow users to search for the best prompts. Then there is PromptBase, which allows users to buy different prompts as well as sell their own.
An active marketplace is forming up at the heels of generative AI tools. In this instance, enterprising individuals and orgnisations are taking to heart a comment by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI which developed ChatGPT who tweeted that “writing a really great prompt for a chatbot persona is an amazingly high-leverage skill and an early example of programming in a little bit of natural language”.
For those who want to learn how to write relevant prompts, there are courses offered by Udemy and other online educational companies.
Prompt engineering has earned a spot on wikipedia. And of course the books! There is a Practical Guide to Brand Growth Using ChatGPT.
This is a gold rush moment in technology as enterprises investigate ways to leverage the generative AI for productivity boost. This technology can be applied across industry and business sectors. Even lawyers, architects and accountants can use ChatGPT, Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion and other generative AI software. Singapore civil servants will soon be able to use ChatGPT for research, drafting reports and speeches.
Prompt engineering will generate new jobs and roles for the generative AI field. No technical degree needed, just a way with words and a good understanding of an industry sector and most of all, imagination.
The good news is that jobs in tech are opening up for non-technical but creative professionals who want to enter this industry.
The not-so-good-news is that prompt engineers can also be bad actors leveraging the tools to spread false narratives quickly and at scale. But this is a discussion for another day.
