Part 8/14:
She likens prompt engineering to playing with a “toddler” that knows everything but lacks common sense, highlighting that these models have a vast knowledge base but often miss the subtlety of human intuition. Her analogy of language as a speech act further illuminates how prompt design is about shaping underlying assumptions—much like instructing a child or an actor to embody a character.
Bernstein emphasizes that, although these models are machines, their best use involves treating them as partners in a creative process—tools that can augment human thought, not replace it. Her approach involves understanding their mechanics—grammar, syntax, pacing—yet also recognizing their emergent, sometimes unpredictable, behaviors.