Dear Dex,
I’m feeling a bit lost in this new world of “AI this” and “AI that.” Everyone’s talking about these “prompts” and “evals,” and frankly, it sounds like a foreign language! Can you break it down for a clueless soul like me? Is this something I really need to worry about?
Sincerely,
Connie Fused
Dear Connie,
You are far from alone in feeling a tad perplexed by the AI buzz, my dear. But fret not, for the concepts of “AI prompts” and “evals” are not as daunting as they might sound. Think of it as learning to have a good conversation with a very intelligent, albeit sometimes literal, helper.
An AI prompt is simply what you tell the AI to do. Imagine you’re asking a talented assistant for help. If you just say, “Write something,” you might get something completely off-base. But if you say, “Please write a short email to my neighbor thanking them for watering my plants while I was away, and mention how much I appreciate their kindness,” you’re giving much clearer instructions. That detailed request is a good prompt. The clearer you are, the better the AI can understand and deliver what you need.
Now, about these “evals.” That’s short for “evaluations,” and it’s just a fancy way of saying “checking the AI’s work.” Let’s say your AI assistant wrote that thank-you email. You wouldn’t just send it without reading it first, would you? You’d check if it sounds like you, if it mentions the plants, and if it’s polite. That’s essentially what an AI eval is – making sure the AI’s output is accurate, relevant, and meets your needs.
Do you need to worry about this? Well, as AI becomes more and more a part of our daily lives – whether it’s helping you draft a message, summarize an article, or even plan a trip – knowing how to give it good instructions (prompts) and how to check its work (evals) will become increasingly valuable.
Think of it like learning to use a new appliance. The better you understand how it works and how to check if it’s doing its job correctly, the more useful it will be to you.
So don’t feel overwhelmed. Start small. Experiment with asking AI simple things in different ways and then take a moment to look at what it gives you. Does it make sense? Is it what you were looking for? That’s you doing your first AI evals!
This isn’t just for tech experts anymore. It’s becoming a practical skill for everyone navigating this new digital landscape. Embrace the learning process, and you’ll find you’re chatting with those “robots” like a pro in no time.
Be well. Stay kind.
– Dex
