AAI Word
Bank

Explore

AI Word Bank

AI vocabulary, explained through a familiar kitchen.

AI engineering layers

Prompt engineering

Definition

Designing how to phrase a request, including clear instructions, examples, and an output format, to guide an AI toward the result you need.

AI Word Bank · Illustrated definition

Visual example

Prompt engineering: a chef refines a precise order ticket with clearer instructions and examples.

Precise ticket = prompt engineering

A kitchen example of prompt engineering: writing a precise kitchen ticket.

The kitchen connection

Think of writing a precise kitchen ticket.

The illustration connects the AI idea to something familiar. Follow the subject, the action, and the result to see how it works.

01 · Who or what
Precise ticket = prompt engineering
02 · What happens
Tests clearer instructions and examples
03 · The result
Improves the AI result

Why it matters

It improves reliability by turning vague requests into clear, testable instructions.

Keep the ideas connected

Related AI vocabulary

Prompt chaining

A technique for getting more complex and nuanced results from large language models like Gemini by using the output of one prompt as input to the next. It is like a conversation where each response builds upon the previous one, helping produce a more sophisticated and refined outcome.

Context engineering

Selecting and organizing what goes into an AI model’s context window, such as instructions, documents, conversation history, and tool results, so it has the right information for the task.

Harness engineering

Building the tools, guardrails, and saved progress around an AI model so an agent can act, follow boundaries, and resume work reliably.

Loop engineering

Designing how one AI agent repeatedly chooses an action, uses a tool, checks the result, and continues until it finishes, reaches a limit, or needs help.