Free demo · Prompt Engineering · Lesson 1 · Basics

What is prompt engineering?

Prompt engineering is the skill of writing clear, specific instructions so an AI assistant gives you exactly the answer you need. Same topic, two prompts:

Simple General information

AI assistant
You
Explain global warming.
AI
AI

Global warming is the long-term rise in Earth's average temperature, mainly caused by greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. It leads to melting ice, rising seas and extreme weather…

Refined A researcher's report

AI assistant
You
Investigate current aspects of global warming and its possible long-term impact on life on earth.
AI
AI

1. Current state

+1.2 °C since pre-industrial times; 2024 the warmest year on record…

2. Causes

Fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture…

3. Long-term impact on life

  • Sea-level rise and coastal migration
  • Food and water stress, biodiversity loss
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. Enrol

Tip: press → or Space to step through, ← to go back, R to replay.

About this lesson

Prompt engineering is the practice of designing the instructions you give a large language model such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot or Claude. A vague prompt like “Explain global warming” produces a generic paragraph; a refined prompt that states what to cover and how deep to go produces a structured, useful report. The full course teaches five principles: be specific, define a role, work in steps, iterate, and provide examples.

Key points

  • Definition of prompt engineering
  • Simple vs refined prompts
  • Why specific prompts get better answers