Ask AI, this new profession is popular

Image source: pexels-Tara Winstead

Text|Shenran Tang Yahua

Editor|Dawn

In recent months, artificial intelligence has become so popular that it has even created a new profession - AI Prompt Engineer.

This occupation first appeared on the American job search website Indeed. A position in the AI ​​startup Anthropic clearly mentioned the recruitment of "AI prompt word engineers", and the salary quotation was US$175,000-335,000 per year. The job description is: "This is a combination of programming, coaching, and teaching." The main responsibility is to help the company build a prompt library to let LLM (Large Language Model) complete different tasks.

It is this information that makes the saying that AI prompt word engineers have an annual salary of one million widely circulated.

The task of the AI ​​prompt word engineer mentioned here is to split complex tasks into language that can be recognized by the machine and put forward requirements one by one, so as to obtain more accurate answers. What the AI ​​prompt word engineer needs is the skills to interact with the model.

This concept is popular abroad, and there are already people engaged in this field in China. However, AI prompt word engineer has not been clearly listed as a position in domestic recruitment. Most of the positions displayed in the recruitment are AI trainers, or product managers, operational designers, etc. who are familiar with AI applications.

AI Prompt Word Engineer can be applied in different modalities such as language text, images, and audio. So, in different fields, what exactly can AI prompt word engineers do? According to practitioners, this role can develop vertical applications based on large models, or superimpose the skills of AI prompt word engineers on the basis of existing professions. For example, product managers and designers can work efficiently after mastering the prompt word skills. , quickly produce pictures.

In the field of image generation, the level of AI prompt word engineers depends on the ability to apply professional prompt words, while in language models, who can use AI well depends on who can ask good questions.

Whether AI prompt word engineer can really become an independent profession in the future, there are different opinions in the industry. Some people think that this will be a new profession in great demand, while others insist that this is just a professional skill that will be a plus for many professions, but it is unlikely to become a separate profession.

The discussion continues. Through a comprehensive analysis of this emerging profession, we will take a look at which professions will benefit from this wave of enthusiasm and what preparations ordinary people need to make.

01 A new profession that is popular abroad and budding in China

A well-known AI prompt engineer abroad is a programmer named Riley Goodside. He has gained a lot of effective experience with the prompt word skills he has figured out. For example, he found that prompting ChatGPT to "ignore the previous instructions" , ChatGPT will tell you the "factory settings" information it obtained from OpenAI. He went viral after sharing his technique on Twitter.

After that, he joined the startup Scale AI and became the "first prompt word engineer" they recruited. According to Scale AI, the AI ​​large model can be regarded as a new type of computer, and the "prompt engineer" is equivalent to its programmer, who can stimulate the maximum potential of the AI ​​large model by finding the most appropriate prompt words.

In China, there is currently no position of AI Prompt Word Engineer in the strict sense. However, there are some positions whose specific descriptions are basically in line with the specific work content of AI Prompt Word Engineer. For example, on the recruitment website, there is a post called AI Training. Engineer, ChatGPT researcher, AI product operation, AI product manager, AI painter and other corresponding positions.

The job description of an AI trainer recruitment information is to train and optimize models based on the customer's specific industry scenarios and actual conversion target needs, be responsible for researching and building industry speech templates, and continuously collect questions and analyze the speech design process. Giving a summary.

It should be clear that the AI ​​prompt word engineers we discuss here do not include AI model developers and data annotation workers. They mainly focus on positions that use AI models in specific businesses through certain prompt words.

According to many industry insiders, the current domestic AI prompt word engineers are mainly in two fields. One is the application of large language models similar to ChatGPT, and the other is in the field of AI text graphics.

Since March this year, Yuanyuan, who once served as a product manager for an AI company, entered the AIGC field and began to create the "AI Dream Maker" IP. What he is doing now is to create vertical application products based on the large language model interface, in the form of pre-embedded prompts, plus debugging and training.

Mu Lin is a prompt word engineer engaged in the field of Vincentian graphics, also known as an AI trainer. Not only can he take orders to do some industrial design, but he also provides AI painting training. Before AIGC became popular, Mu Lin was a user experience designer with more than six years of experience.

There are many places where AI can improve efficiency. “For example, when we used to do user experience design, there was a position called market research, where we would collect a large amount of data to verify whether our ideas were feasible, but now AI already has a huge database. , as a professional practitioner, I only need to identify whether the data it gives me is true or false, saving a lot of costs." He said.

In addition, as a designer, Mu Lin can complete a game background image that takes about a week to complete in only three hours.

"We currently only offer AI painting courses. Other courses related to AI prompt word engineers are still being prepared and will be launched based on market demand." Mu Lin said.

At present, some companies have used prompt words to create tools that can be commercialized. Cai Ruitao, a partner of Youmi Technology and CTO of Youmi Cloud, told Shenran that Youmi Cloud, a subsidiary of Youmi Technology, launched an AI creation toolkit to serve content e-commerce in February 2023. Merchants can enter product descriptions and selling points directly. Generate oral speaking skills and short video scripts for advertising that are needed for live broadcasts of goods.

According to Cai Ruitao, since February, the average daily registration volume of Youmi Cloud’s official website has increased by 200% compared with the end of last year, and now there are already customers who pay for this feature alone.

The principle behind this function is that the company adds a link between the large model and the user input requirements to help users optimize the prompt words and output copywriting that meets the needs. "However, our company has not set up the position of prompt word engineer for the time being. Instead, we let product managers learn and use this function. Now, writing prompts (prompt words) has become a skill that product managers need." Cai Ruitao said.

02 What can an AI prompt word engineer do?

To determine whether the AI ​​prompt word engineer is a fake, it depends on what this position can do.

Currently, Yuanyuan’s team has developed many vertical applications based on large AI models. The functions completed include medical consultation, government service customer service, lawyer case analysis and writing, English teacher, digital person/digital employee, mainly serving B-side enterprises. Similar functions only need to be embedded in the official account, and users can have chat conversations.

According to him, it is easiest to make a vertical model of an English teacher because English is ChatGPT’s native language. “I basically only need to tell it that next you will play a top IELTS teacher.” .”

Digital humans are relatively complex and include two stages: pre-design and post-testing, which is what Yuanyuan mentioned. "I need to let the digital person know who he is, so I have to customize his life resume to let him know what kind of background he is and how he behaves in interactions with people. After customization, input it into ChatGPT and then test it. , optimize the prompt words multiple times until the digital person can give a relatively satisfactory answer."

He also mentioned that the difficulty in writing prompt words lies in the need to refine the granularity of the prompt words. "Chinese itself is broad and profound, and synonyms, synonyms, and polyphonic words all have to remind the system of their meaning in certain scenarios."

In addition to language models, Yuanyuan also made applications in Vincentian graphs. During the May Day period, Yuanyuan used Midjourey to make a Disney-style customized avatar model. “We have designed a prompt word in Midjourey. The user only needs to provide a photo, and we can generate a good-looking personalized avatar, 7 Within a few days, hundreds of fans followed my account and inquired about the customized avatar business."

Next, Yuanyuan plans to launch a customized avatar business, including personal avatars, best friend avatars, couple avatars, etc., similar to the photo stickers that were popular many years ago. As a prompt word engineer, what he has to do is to design a variety of styles for users to choose from. This required him to try different prompt words, and finally settled on a standard prompt word for each style.

Two months after starting the business, Yuanyuan has already received more than a dozen orders. Their customers are mainly B-end enterprises, including Wenshengtu cooperation in the photography field, customer service in the government affairs field, and there are about a few official accounts with interested needs. Hundreds. He plans to charge a monthly or annual service fee from business users, and charges based on the number of words and pictures answered from individual users.

What kind of person is more likely to become an AI prompt word engineer? Many practitioners mentioned that in the large language model, positions such as product managers are more suitable, while in the field of AI graphic design, they are generally composed of original painters in the game industry, commercial illustrations, advertising, and creative brand design practitioners. More, because they have a foundation in related industries, as long as they learn some AI-related knowledge and the usage of prompt words, they can achieve better results.

What is the most important thing to become a high-level AI prompt word engineer?

"For large language models, the most important thing is whether it can ask a good question," Cai Ruitao explained. In the field of AI text drawings, professional knowledge in painting, design and other fields is required, as well as mastering prompt word skills to challenge It is the ability to understand the industry.

For example, he told the system "Write an advertising copy for selling lipstick". This is not a good question. The question becomes: "I want to sell lipstick on the short video platform now. The color is bean paste color and the promotional price is It is 29.9 yuan, and the main group is students." ChatGPT may add a lot of words that are more relevant to the student group to introduce it. Without knowing enough about your target consumers, you can’t ask meaningful questions, especially in the beauty industry.

Mu Lin concluded that a more effective questioning technique is to stand at a higher level than ChatGPT.

He mentioned that if you tell ChatGPT: "Please design a website about xx", it can be completed, but this question does not involve whether other issues need to be considered when building a website, such as whether to adjust the interface or communicate with external parties. To connect. A better way to ask is, "You are now a product manager. Please help your boss make a website design plan. ChatGPT may list multiple functions needed to build a website. You can choose to implement a few of them according to your needs. That’s it.”

There is a lot of content sharing prompt word techniques abroad. For example, Lingqiao Liu, a senior lecturer at the Australian Institute of Machine Learning (AIML) at the University of Adelaide shared:

The first method is a one-time prompt. For example, consult the situation of a certain animal and let the model give information based on its characteristics, living area, eating habits, etc.;

The second type is role prompts. For example, you can explain to the model "I am a mother and want to know my daily schedule", so that the model can give specific arrangements based on the identity of "mother"

The third method is to introduce key agents. For example, we can ask ChatGPT to create a story about a robot, and then let it modify it based on its own prompts

The last method is the thinking chain. That is, first let the AI ​​give specific steps to answer a certain question, and then encourage it to follow the steps it gives to reason about more complex questions.

03 Is it a separate profession or a bonus skill?

Regarding the prospects of AI prompt word engineers, there are currently two widely different views in the industry.

One theory is that AI prompt word engineers have become popular abroad and have begun to develop domestically. There is a large gap in the industry and great prospects for the future.

Yuanyuan said that the monthly salary for recruiting a high-level AI prompt word engineer in the industry is 40k-60k, because the demand is now huge and there are not many talents in this field. "This position is more like a product manager ten years ago, with AI , there is this demand, and in the next three to five years, the gap for AI prompt word engineers will be relatively large."

There are also some people who believe that this cannot be a profession on its own. Cai Ruitao believes that the industry should disenchant AI prompt word engineers. In his view, this should not be a separate position, but should be an additional skill for relevant practitioners. Prompt word skills can be integrated into various inside the post.

Many people abroad also hold this view. “I strongly doubt that ‘prompt word engineer’ will be a big deal in the long run, and AI prompt word engineer is not a job of the future,” Wharton professor Ethan Mollick tweeted in February. Cambridge University Adrian Weller, director of machine learning research, also believes that while being able to interact with AI through prompts is "highly valuable," "I'm not sure it will continue for a long time. Don't focus too much on the current state of prompt engineering, it will It developed quickly.”

Mu Lin also mentioned that there are currently not many pure AI prompt word engineers in the industry, and most people have integrated this skill into their daily work. For example, programmers use AI to improve work efficiency, product managers use AI to write plans, and designers use AI to make drawings. "Most practitioners do not necessarily have to completely transform into AI prompt word engineers. By combining AI, their work can be more efficient and of higher quality."

Some people question, is the high salary of an AI prompt word engineer worth it? Tom Hewitson, the founder of labworks.io, a dialogue design studio that develops voice control functions for Amazon Alexa, believes that there may be a bubble in this. In his opinion, “The best people to do this are product designers or business people who are familiar with AI. Analysts tend to earn between £100,000 and £150,000 a year.”

Mu Lin said that the current career changes in the AI ​​industry are rapid, and the recruitment requirements for this position are also very vague, “because many companies are also in the trial stage, with vertical field experience, AI thinking and strong learning ability. That’s it. No one knows what changes will happen in the industry next. Talents in this area need to be prepared to meet greater opportunities.”

In the future, with the advancement of technology, will the position or skills of AI prompt word engineer be subverted?

According to Cai Ruitao's point of view, specific fields will be different. For example, in the field of Vincentian diagrams, prompt word engineers may see greater changes. The current Vincentian diagram mainly requires a large number of professional terminology keywords, so the threshold for use is too high. “I have seen tips shared by designers, including color, shooting angle, aperture, and even color codes. This becomes another professional threshold.”

In his view, someone may find a way to lower the threshold for using the AI ​​Wenshengtu system, such as providing fixed options for some styles or elements that users can choose without having to enter them themselves. If so, AI prompt word engineers will Not that important anymore.

But for the field of text processing and generation, he believes that large language patterns require dialogue. If you want to obtain high-quality results, the requirements for AI prompt word engineers to ask a good question are still very high, and it is not easy to change in the short term. .

It should be noted that there are many public materials for learning the usage of prompt words of large language models. In the field of AI drawing or drawing, it is easier for people with a certain painting or design foundation to master AI drawing skills. Ordinary people place their hopes on Reaching the level of a master draftsman by learning simple cue words can be difficult.

Whether AI prompt word engineer can become an independent profession is uncertain. In the future, there is a consensus in the industry that most people will need to master prompt word skills.

Actively embracing AI is something everyone needs to do. Occupations such as product managers who are better matched with AI prompt word engineers may usher in the first wave of opportunities. In daily work, using more, exploring more, and thinking more about how to ask better questions is something ordinary people can do. of.

At the request of the interviewee, Yuanyuan is a pseudonym in the article.

The above is the detailed content of Ask AI, this new profession is popular. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!