P is for Prompt – ABCs of AI (Elementary)

P is for Prompt – AI for Kids Podcast

What if the secret to unlocking AI’s full potential lies in how we communicate with it? In this episode, we dive into the world of prompts—the key to getting AI to generate the best responses. Whether you're asking a chatbot a question, creating digital art, or even getting an AI assistant to tell a story, crafting the right prompt makes all the difference!

🔹 What You'll Learn:

• What prompts are and why they matter
• How to write effective prompts for better AI interactions
• Fun ways prompts are used in everyday technology
• Interactive game: Power Up Your Prompt
• How great prompting skills can improve real-world communication
• Hands-on activities to practice at home or in school

Join us for a fun and engaging episode as we unravel the mysteries of AI prompts! Think of it like ordering at a restaurant—clear instructions help you get exactly what you want. From simple questions to imaginative storytelling, we’ll explore how the right words can shape AI’s responses and spark creativity. Plus, get ready to test your skills with Power Up Your Prompt, a game designed to turn you into a prompt master!

So, are you ready to sharpen your AI skills? Tune in and discover how prompt engineering could be the creative tech career of the future!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:29

Welcome to the AI for Kids podcast, where playtime, learning and creating collide bit by bit. Ever wonder how your phone recognizes your face. How does a game learn to get harder as you get better? This is AI. This podcast is designed for kids like you and your human parents, making the complex world of AI easy to understand and, most importantly, fun. So are you ready to unlock the mysteries of artificial intelligence? Subscribe and join us on AI for Kids. Happy Tuesday. I love Tuesdays because it is AI for Kids Day.

Speaker 1: 1:05

Today, we're unlocking the power of the letter P, which stands for prompt. Did you know that AI needs instructions to work properly? That's where prompts come in. I want you to discover today how prompts help AI understand what we want and how we can use them to get better results, and the best results in our large language models. So what is a prompt?

Speaker 1: 1:30

A prompt is what you type or say to an AI to tell it what to do. It can be a question like what's the tallest mountain in the world? Or a command like write a story about a space traveling cat. The better your prompt, the better the AI's answer. So if you could ask AI anything right now, what would it be? Maybe tell a joke? Or how do rockets work? Ask the question to someone around you. This is the beginning of your prompt journey.

Speaker 1: 2:00

Why are prompts important? Ai, particularly LLMs, don't think like we do. They follow patterns based on the words we use. A clear, detailed prompt helps AI understand exactly what we're asking for. Think of it like ordering food at a restaurant. If you just say I want food, that's too vague. No one understands that. But if you say I want a cheeseburger with ketchup and fries, hold the pickles. You get exactly what you want.

Speaker 1: 2:35

Prompts are the exact same way. You have to be very detailed on what you want the AI to do for you. So how do you write a great prompt? Have three easy steps. One, you want to be specific. Instead of tell me a story, try tell me a funny story about a robot who wants to be a chef. Then you need to give it details. Instead of draw a cat, try draw a fluffy orange cat wearing sunglasses and riding a skateboard. You see the difference there. And then, last but not least, you can always ask for more.

Speaker 1: 3:15

Ai can explain, summarize or rewrite answers to make them even better. So where are places that you will use prompts? A few places include chatbots and virtual assistants. So when you ask Siri, alexa or ChatGPT a question, you're using a prompt. There are also AI art generators like Midjourney or Dali. When you type a description to create an AI image, that's also a prompt. Search engines use prompts too. Think about it Even when you Google something, the words you use are prompts that help the computer find answers.

Speaker 1: 3:49

I want to share a few fun facts about prompts. People use prompts to create amazing AI-generated pictures. In a previous episode, I talked to you all about doing that to maybe even create artwork for your wall at home. Ai can also write prompts. Did you know that Some AIs can even suggest better prompts to improve your results? You can use AI to create prompts, but I always want to have you use your own creativity to do this first and then use AI to help you get better. And did you know that there's something called prompt engineering, and it's a job? Some people work as prompt engineers, designing the best prompts to help companies use AI.

Speaker 1: 4:30

So it's time for a quick game. The game is called Power Up your Prompt. The tools you need a piece of paper or just your imagination. Either one works here. So how do you play.

Speaker 1: 4:42

I want you to start with a boring prompt, like tell me a story. Then I want you to try to make it better by adding details. For example, boring is tell me a story. Better is tell me a story about a pirate who finds a magical map but is afraid of water. Do you see the difference? Use your imagination here, kids. Y'all are creative. I want you to remain creative, and using your creativity actually helps the AI do a better job. And then I want you to see who in your group can come up with the most exciting prompt.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Now there's a bonus If you have access to an AI chatbot. Try typing in the different prompts and see how changing just a few words changes the response. Even though for this game you don't need to use a chatbot, you can just use pieces of paper or just talk it out, and that's totally fine. So what's next? Imagine if you could train AI to always understand you perfectly. What kind of things would you ask it to do?

Speaker 1: 5:44

I also want you to think about what makes a great prompt, what details help AI give you the best answer. And learning how to prompt also helps you communicate with humans your parents, your teachers, your friends, your brothers and sisters in everyday life. It is a better way to communicate and it also helps you with your communication skills. If your parents are interested, there are a few activities you can try at home or at school. So try using chat, gpt, gemini or Claude with a friend. Of course, parents and teachers have to be there too and compare how different prompts change the AI's response.

Speaker 1: 6:18

Write down five different prompts and predict what kind of answers you think the AI might give you. Or experiment with an AI art tool to see how changing the words in your prompt changes the pictures. Well, I hope you had fun learning about the power of prompts. Get ready for our next AI Avengers as we continue the ABCs of AI. See you next time. Stay curious, bye-bye. Thank you for joining us as we explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. Don't keep this adventure to yourself. Download it, share it with your friends and let everyone else in on the fun. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. See you next time on AI for Kids.