How to Feed ChatGPT with Data (ChatGPT Lesson #3)

Providing data to ChatGPT is essential, as it supplies the necessary context and background information for generating precise and meaningful responses. This method is crucial as it enables us to refine ChatGPT’s responses to align with specific requirements and contexts. By supplying relevant details beforehand, you can steer the AI toward producing more precise, context-aware, and helpful outputs—essentially giving it a short briefing before assigning a task or posing a question.

For example, you want to make a sandwich, but you're a vegetarian. So, you can tailor your prompt with the following: Suggest the best way to make a sandwich. Note that I'm a vegetarian. Give me a specific recipe.

Questions to Ask

As you may observe, the key is to ensure that the information provided is both clear and relevant.

How can you ensure that ChatGPT accurately interprets your request?

When crafting a prompt, take into account the necessary background information, including relevant terminology, key facts, and any constraints that may influence the response.

Consider a more advanced scenario: developing a marketing campaign for a new eco-friendly water bottle. ChatGPT can assist in multiple ways throughout this process.

Asking an AI for marketing ideas on eco-friendly products may seem simple, but without the right context, the suggestions might be too broad or impractical.

To maximize the effectiveness of ChatGPT's responses, you may write down the following prompt: 

Generate marketing ideas for a new eco-friendly water bottle. Consider the following factors: The new bottles are reusable. Our target audience is environmentally conscious millennials who lead active lifestyles.

Providing ChatGPT with background knowledge is a useful method to set ChatGPT up to generate more relevant and tailored marketing ideas. It now has a solid grasp of the product, the intended audience, and the key differentiators.

Another useful example is seeking ChatGPT's assistance with a coding task. Rather than simply asking for a solution, you can provide details such as the programming language, relevant libraries or frameworks, and any specific requirements or constraints.

By doing so, ChatGPT can offer more precise and practical guidance.

Now, you may ask, "Is it necessary to provide every detail right from the start?"

The answer is a big NO.

Providing all context upfront isn’t always required. The issue isn’t about time but rather the risk of making the prompt excessively long or complicated, which can lead to a lower-quality response. A better approach is to introduce details gradually, keeping the prompt concise and easy to follow.

Important Rules of Feeding AI With Data

Keep in mind that, while ChatGPT is highly capable, it isn’t all-knowing. It doesn’t retain details from past conversations, so if you’re working on a multi-step task or revisiting a discussion later, you may need to provide key context again.

So, if you are planning to continuously work on your eco-friendly water bottle marketing campaign, what should you do at the beginning of each ChatGPT session?

Repeat the key points and offer relevant background information.

Keep in mind that the objective is to provide ChatGPT with sufficient context to grasp your needs while avoiding excessive or irrelevant information.

Remember these key points:

1. Providing AI with the right information enables you to harness its capabilities more effectively by offering meaningful context and clear parameters.

2. This data unlocks new opportunities for innovative problem-solving and streamlined task execution.