Although I spend a lot of time at the computer and have taken more than 200 online courses since 2012, I’m still learning how to make the most of generative AI tools. I’m not a complete beginner in the world of AI, but definitely need to become more fluent in its use. In this respect, I found Google Prompting Essentials, created by Google, very helpful. The course provided plenty of ideas for creating and refining prompts in a variety of situations, in both the workplace and my personal life.

Who is This Course For?

If you’re a complete beginner to AI prompting, you’ll find this course easy to follow, engaging and helpful. If, like me, you have limited experience with AI prompting, you’ll find plenty of useful content and practical tips. Even if you work daily with AI prompting, you might learn some advanced techniques and applications including prompt chaining, meta-prompting, analyzing complex tasks, images, audio and video files, or data sets. Did you know you can use AI to compose images? Or create a personalized AI agent to role-play conversations or help you prepare for an interview? Most of these aspects have guided activities to help you cement your new-found knowledge. The course is packed with examples of situations where you can use AI, which in turn stimulate ideas for more uses.

Putting AI Prompting to Work

Knowing I would be writing a review after taking the course, I wrote a prompt for a timeline for finishing the course and writing the review by the deadline. It came back with clearly designated tasks for mornings, afternoons, and (brief) evenings. Other assignments I gave AI while drafting this review were to summarize the course information and syllabus, and to arrange my rough notes from working through the course into a coherent order.

And no, AI didn’t write this review. Instead, I used output from AI to help me organize my thoughts and wrote more quickly than starting from scratch.

You may be wondering what personal situations I investigated. I asked Gemini for some suggestions for a seaside vacation within 300 km of Brisbane (Australia) and the answers blew me away. They were relevant, and, yes, within the 300 km range. Gemini covered destinations, budget, accommodation, clothing, sun protection, travel insurance, and transport, even some rainy-day activities!

I’ve also been toying with the idea of organizing a large gathering for my extended family. AI gave me a detailed planning schedule covering venue, refreshments, invitations, decorations, and more.

Guidance For Effective Prompts

The 5-step prompt framework taught in this course helps us write and refine excellent prompts. If the outputs aren’t quite what you need from your first attempt, Google Prompting Essentials guides you to better results. Don’t be afraid to ask for several responses or provide numerous detailed prompts. You can also attach reference material for more precise results.

What the Course Offers

As well as the techniques and examples mentioned, you’ll be able to download a spreadsheet where you can collect all your prompts and their iterations for future reference. There’s also a Key Takeaways fact sheet that’s a useful ready-reference for the 5-Step Prompting Framework, Multimodal Prompting, and Responsible AI Checklist.

When you earn 80% or more in each of the 5 graded quizzes, you will receive the Prompting Essentials career certificate from Coursera and Credly to add to your resumé, performance review, LinkedIn, and social media.

A Cautionary Note

While AI is an amazing tool, it isn’t perfect. Occasionally, incorrect or misleading results can appear. This is known as hallucination. That’s why it is crucial to evaluate results for possible bias and fact-check all AI output using a range of sources. Keeping a “human in the loop” can iron out misunderstandings, particularly when AI interprets our prompts in an unexpected (but logical for the computer) way.

Another aspect to keep in mind is privacy. The instructors remind us to “…consult your company’s rules or policies before entering confidential or sensitive data into gen AI tools.” You may be restricted by your organization’s policies, or even laws in your region. Similarly, for personal use, remember that you are using a publicly available tool. How might your data be used?

While we’re discussing accountability and duty of disclosure, don’t forget to mention any use of AI when sharing content with others.

What’s Next?

This course has stimulated my interest in how I can use AI more in my work and home life. Google has produced a range of Professional Certificate courses that will boost your knowledge and resumé. Some may lead into an online degree. Google AI Essentials is perfect for beginners who want a basic understanding of AI. Or the Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path offered by Google Cloud. A super-helpful Professional Certificate is Google IT Support, a 5-course Specialization that can help prepare you for a job in the field and the CompTIA A+ exam. Or Google Data Analytics, an 8-course Professional Certificate that prepares you for an entry-level data analytics job.

If you are looking to break into these fields, check out these courses.