TutorialsUse AI Effectively
Four principles: define the deliverable, clarify the prompt, set prohibitions, and plan the steps.
To use AI well, start with four principles: define the deliverable, clarify the prompt, set prohibitions, and plan the steps.
Define the deliverable
State what you want to get in the end. The clearer the deliverable, the easier it is for AI to pick the right output structure, tools, and steps.
A PPT
For reports, pitches, or class decks.
A course plan
With goals, outline, and schedule.
A spreadsheet
Structured data or a checklist.
A screenshot
To verify a layout or effect.
An article
Long-form, tutorial, or retrospective.
An executable plan
With steps, owners, and timing.
Based on this survey data, produce a 15-page course report PPT.
It must remain editable and keep data source notes.Clarify the prompt
A prompt should include at least these elements:
Task requirements
What you want AI to do.
Your role
Give AI a persona to adopt.
Background
Materials, data, and context.
Target audience
Who the content is for.
Usage scenario
Where it will be used.
Delivery standards
What counts as done.
You are a course design consultant.
Background:
We collected surveys from community members about AI pain points.
Task:
Design an AI hands-on course from the survey results and organize it into a report PPT.
Audience:
Community members and course co-creators.
Requirement:
First analyze the data and propose key findings, then generate a page-by-page outline after I confirm. Do not generate the final PPT directly.Set prohibitions
Telling AI what to do is not enough; you must also say what it must not do.
No fabricated data
Never invent information.
No altered facts
Keep quotes and numbers intact.
No skipped confirmations
Confirm at key milestones.
No rewritten quotes
Stay faithful to the original wording.
No judgment as fact
Separate inference from conclusions.
No omitted sources
Every conclusion must be traceable.
Prohibitions:
1. Do not fabricate data that does not exist in the survey.
2. Do not present speculation as fact.
3. Do not move to the outline stage before key findings are confirmed.
4. Do not generate the PPT before the page-by-page outline is confirmed.Plan the steps
Handing all the work to AI at once usually leads to structural drift, distorted facts, and rework. Follow this rhythm instead:
Ask clarifying questions first
Fill in unclear background and constraints.
Structure the task
Break a big task into executable stages.
Analyze the materials
Read and process surveys, documents, and other inputs.
Propose key findings
Give conclusions backed by data.
Confirm with the user
Are the findings valid and part of the main thread?
Generate the page-by-page outline
Decide what each page covers first.
Define the design plan
Then set the visual style and layout.
Review the logic
Check the thread, order, and evidence.
Generate the PPT
Build from the confirmed content.
Return key page screenshots
Let the user see the actual result.
Iterate from feedback
Keep refining until satisfied.
Final acceptance
Close out against the delivery standards.
Handing all the work to AI at once usually leads to structural drift, distorted facts, and rework.