Just realized my ChatGPT prompt template was holding me back

I was at the library last Thursday watching a guy next to me get perfect results from his AI by asking it to "explain like I'm 12" and I realized my prompts were way too formal. Started using simple, casual phrases and the outputs got way more useful, especially for brainstorming menu ideas for my side catering gig. Anyone else find that dumbing down your prompts actually makes the AI smarter?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorhernandez16d ago

Yeah that tracks. Running into the same thing myself, it's like the AI loosens up when you stop trying to sound like a legal document. Real solid advice, appreciate you sharing it.

kevin_williams16d ago

Whoa hold on, I gotta push back on this a little. Telling an AI to dumb things down can actually backfire hard, like you said with the BBQ example. If anything, @victorhernandez, I think the problem is the opposite - if you give it too loose of a leash, it starts making up nonsense or glossing over important details. I've had better luck being super specific, like "give me three options for a smoky marinade that won't overpower pork ribs" rather than asking for dumbed down or casual stuff.

adam18616d ago

Honestly, I gotta disagree with @victorhernandez a bit here. I've found that telling it to "explain like I'm 12" just gives me overly simple answers that miss nuance. Ngl, when I asked it for menu ideas for a summer BBQ it just suggested hot dogs and potato salad instead of actually helping me balance flavors. Tbh, I think a middle ground works better for me, like telling it "explain this to a college student who already knows the basics.