Techniques to clarify ambiguous Generative AI prompts
When working with Generative AI, clear communication is essential. Ambiguous prompts can lead to unexpected or undesired outcomes. To ensure the AI understands and delivers what’s expected, we need to clarify our instructions. Here are some techniques and examples from different domains to illustrate how by Handling Ambiguity in prompts we can get appropriate outputs:
Examples
- Website Development Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Make a website."
- Clarified Prompt: "Design a website for a local bakery. It should have a homepage, a menu page, and a contact page. The tone should be friendly and welcoming, with a formal touch. Use pastel colors and include images of cakes and pastries. Ensure the site is mobile-responsive."
- Negative Prompt: "Avoid using dark themes or unrelated images like cars or animals."
- Explanation: The clarified prompt provides a clear goal (a website for a bakery) and specific requirements (pages, tone, colors, images). It also gives context (local bakery) and specifies the format (mobile-responsive). The tone is friendly and formal, and the behavior expected is a responsive design.
- Recipe Generation Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Give me a recipe."
- Clarified Prompt: "Provide a vegetarian pasta recipe that serves four people. It should be easy to make, using common ingredients. The tone should be casual and the steps should be simple to follow."
- Negative Prompt: "Do not suggest recipes with meat or peculiar ingredients."
- Explanation: The clarified prompt is specific about the type of recipe, the number of servings, and the difficulty level. It sets a casual tone and emphasizes simplicity, ensuring the AI understands the user's needs.
- Book Recommendation Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Suggest a book."
- Clarified Prompt: "Recommend a science fiction book suitable for teenagers. It should be a recent publication, not more than two years old, with positive reviews. The tone of your suggestion should be enthusiastic."
- Negative Prompt: "Avoid suggesting romance novels or books published more than two years ago."
- Explanation: This prompt is clear about the genre, target audience, publication date, and desired tone. It directly addresses the reader's interest in recent and well-reviewed books.
- Travel Planning Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Plan a trip."
- Clarified Prompt: "Plan a 7-day trip to Paris for a family of four. Include popular tourist spots, kid-friendly activities, and budget-friendly dining options. The itinerary should be detailed with timings and transport options."
- Negative Prompt: "Do not include extreme adventure activities or expensive restaurants."
- Explanation: The clarified prompt provides clear instructions on the destination, duration, and type of activities. It also specifies the format (itinerary with timings and transport).
- Fashion Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "What should I wear?"
- Clarified Prompt: "Suggest a casual outfit for a summer day at the beach for a young adult. It should be comfortable and stylish. Include a list of accessories."
- Negative Prompt: "Avoid suggesting winter clothes or formal attire."
- Explanation: The prompt is specific about the occasion, season, and target audience. It also sets clear requirements for comfort and style.
- Music Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Play some music."
- Clarified Prompt: "Play relaxing jazz music from the 1950s. The playlist should last for an hour and include artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane."
- Negative Prompt: "Do not play modern pop or heavy metal music."
- Explanation: The clarified prompt is specific about the genre, era, duration, and even artists, ensuring the AI delivers exactly what the user wants.
- Fitness Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Give me a workout."
- Clarified Prompt: "Provide a 30-minute cardio workout for beginners. It should include warm-up and cool-down exercises. The instructions should be easy to follow with a motivational tone."
- Negative Prompt: "Avoid suggesting weightlifting or advanced yoga poses."
- Explanation: The prompt specifies the type, duration, and difficulty level of the workout. It also sets the tone and format.
- Education Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Teach me something."
- Clarified Prompt: "Explain the basics of photosynthesis in simple terms suitable for high school students. Use diagrams and keep the explanation under 500 words."
- Negative Prompt: "Do not delve into advanced botanical terms or university-level content."
- Explanation: The prompt is clear about the topic, target audience, format, and length. It also provides context (high school level) and specifies the use of diagrams.
- Gaming Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Recommend a game."
- Clarified Prompt: "Suggest a multiplayer online game suitable for kids aged 10-12. It should be educational and safe, with parental controls. Your recommendation should be enthusiastic and informative."
- Negative Prompt: "Avoid recommending violent games or those without parental controls."
- Explanation: The prompt specifies the type, target audience, and features of the game. It also sets the tone and provides clear requirements.
- Finance Domain:
- Ambiguous Prompt: "Give financial advice."
- Clarified Prompt: "Provide tips on saving money for young adults in their early 20s. The advice should be practical, focusing on daily expenses and budgeting. Keep the tone positive and encouraging."
- Negative Prompt: "Do not suggest high-risk investments or complex financial instruments."
- Explanation: The prompt is specific about the target audience and type of advice. It sets a positive tone and emphasizes practicality.
Conclusion
In all these examples, clarity, specificity, and understanding the reader’s needs are prioritized by handling ambiguity. By providing clear instructions, goals, context, and tone, we can ensure that the AI delivers content that is truly helpful and resonates with the reader. By incorporating exemplars and negative prompts, we can guide the AI more effectively to generate content that aligns closely with the user’s preferences and expectations.
Pro Tip
When you’re not sure what a prompt means, try breaking it down into smaller questions. Ask yourself: “What exactly do I need to know?” or “What is the main goal here?” This helps make things clearer and guides you to give a more focused response.
FAQs
- What does ‘handling ambiguity’ mean?
It means finding ways to understand and clear up prompts or instructions that are not clear or have more than one meaning.
- Why is it important to clarify ambiguous prompts?
To make sure you understand correctly and give the right response or do the task as expected.
- How can I make a prompt clearer by handling ambiguity?
Ask specific questions about the unclear parts, or break the prompt into smaller, simpler questions.
- What should I do if I receive a prompt that is too broad or general?
Ask for more details or examples to narrow down what is being asked.
- Can you give an example of clarifying an ambiguous prompt?
If the prompt is “Write about a vehicle,” you can ask, “Do you want me to write about a specific type of vehicle, like cars or bikes?”
- What’s a good way to avoid handling ambiguity in communication?
Always confirm your understanding by repeating back what you think the prompt is asking.
- Why is it important to avoid assumptions in ambiguous prompts?
Assuming can lead to wrong answers or actions. It’s better to ask and be sure.
- How can I improve my skills in handling ambiguous prompts?
Practice by working with different types of prompts and asking for feedback on your understanding.
- What role does context play in understanding a prompt?
Knowing the situation or background can help make sense of what is being asked.
- Is it okay to ask for clarification multiple times?
Yes, it’s better to ask several times than to work on wrong assumptions.