No, this isn’t about Facebook or any of Zuckerberg’s companies….
Meta in this context means referencing itself. So a meta-comment is a comment about a comment. A meta-thought is a thought about a thought. Etc.
With that definition in place, a meta-prompt is a prompt about a prompt.
So what? (I’m glad you asked…)
Sometimes a good way to get a prompt for an AI assistant like ChatGPT is to ask it to create one for you. It sounds weird at first. You wouldn’t ask a search engine what to search for but this is different.
For example, since my early experiences with AI were with video games, I wondered if I could play a card game with an AI assistant. I put the following prompt into Perplexity:
"What would be an effective prompt to use that would allow me to play a game of gin rummy with you?”
It’s response was kinda wordy (shocking…) but here is the important part:
“Let's play a game of gin rummy. Please keep track of both hands, the deck, and the discard pile. Deal 10 cards to each of us to start. Describe my hand to me, but keep yours hidden. Then, draw the first card for me and ask what I'd like to do. We'll take turns, following standard gin rummy rules. Please manage the gameplay, keep score, and let me know when either of us goes gin or knocks. Are you ready to begin?”
I’ll put the details in a separate post but it did work with some tweaking using that prompt.
Now I can use this as a framework for similar questions - how can I play blackjack with ChatGPT, how can I play 4-person card games, etc.
If you’re short on time or don’t have an idea of how to prompt and get the output that you want, try a meta-prompt. It won’t work perfectly (or at all sometimes) but it will usually get you closer to where you want to be.
PLAYING A GAME A CARDS WITH A CHATBOT
Uncover the unique advantages of playing card games with a chatbot.
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