“In the AI era, the most successful manager will not be the one who has the most information, but the one who prompts most effectively.” – Adapted from statements by Kai-Fu Lee, AI expert and venture capitalist

The AI driver’s license for the modern business world

Imagine standing in front of a futuristic fleet of vehicles in which each model represents a different AI system. The “vehicles” range from sleek sports cars like Perplexity for quick information searches to versatile SUVs like Pixtral and Claude, which are multimodal systems capable of processing text and images.

Getting the most out of these “vehicles” requires more than just the ignition key. It requires the ability to give precise instructions. This is the essence of prompting.

The AI landscape: a diverse fleet of vehicles

As in the automotive industry, there are different “models” of AI systems for different areas of application:

• Multi-modal systems such as Claude and Pixtral represent flexible SUVs that ensure safe navigation in both the “city traffic” of text processing and the “off-road” of image analysis.
• Specialized AI systems such as Ideogram for image generation or Whisper for speech recognition achieve a high level of performance comparable to that of sports cars in their respective fields.

The application of each tool requires a specific “driving style” or a customized prompting approach. It is encouraging that many advanced AI tools offer built-in prompting aids to help users formulate effective instructions.

Prompting: the art of AI control

Prompting is the language we use to guide AI systems. Formulating precise instructions to achieve the desired result is crucial. A precisely formulated prompt is like a clear navigation instruction that guides the AI efficiently to its destination.

Companies such as Anthropic offer specialized tools for optimizing prompts. For example, Anthropic’s “Prompt Improver” helps users optimize and refine their prompts. This is comparable to a driver assistance system that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of AI usage.

Tokenization: the fuel for effective AI communication

Behind the scenes, AI systems are powered by tokens, the smallest units that can be processed. These tokens serve as fuel for our AI vehicle and also act as a billing currency. An efficient design of the prompts leads to a reduction in token consumption and thus to faster, more precise results at lower costs.

A practical example: when working with Pixtral, an inefficient prompt such as “Can you please explain to me what the concept of artificial intelligence means and how it works?” can lead to higher token consumption than a more efficient prompt such as “Explain AI: concept and how it works”. Although both prompts could provide similar results, the second one is preferable due to its efficiency and cost optimization.

Prompt design and engineering: The fine-tuning of AI control

Prompt design and engineering are advanced techniques that aim to optimize the performance of AI systems. Different strategies include all-in-one prompting, step-by-step prompting, and chain-of-thought (CoT) prompting.

Let’s take the creation of an executive workshop with the help of AI as an example:

• All-in-One Prompting: “Create a detailed plan for a 4-hour leadership workshop on ‘Effective Decision Making in Uncertain Times’. Include learning objectives, a 15-minute introduction, three interactive exercises (3 hours) and a 45-minute summary with action planning.”
• Chain-of-Thought (CoT) Prompting: “Let’s design a step-by-step leadership workshop on ‘Effective Decision Making in Uncertain Times’. Start by identifying the most important decision-making skills for managers in today’s volatile business world.”

The above approaches each have specific advantages and disadvantages and are suitable for different situations and AI models.

Prompting as a company-wide competence

It is important to emphasize that prompting is not just a skill for managers. In the modern world of work, employees at all levels of a company need to develop this skill.

From February 2025, Article 4 of the AI Regulation (AI Regulation) will come into force. This EU regulation obliges companies that offer or operate AI systems to ensure that their employees have sufficient AI skills. This underlines the urgency to invest in training and developing these skills now.

The urgency to act

With only a few months until Article 4 of the AI Regulation comes into force, companies need to act now to be compliant in time. Investing in AI expertise is not only a legal necessity, but also a strategic step to future-proof your business.

Conclusion: Prompting as the key to success

In a world where AI is increasingly shaping business processes, prompting is an indispensable business skill. It is the decisive factor in unlocking the full potential of AI systems and driving innovation.

Companies that master this skill at all levels will not only control AI systems, but will also play a key role in shaping the future of their industry. In this sense, prompting is more than just a technical skill. It is a strategic skill that will make the difference between success and failure in the digital age.

Your next step towards AI excellence

As a manager or decision-maker, you need to prepare your company for the challenges of the AI age. Our tailored training courses will enable you not only to comply with legal requirements, but also to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the AI revolution.

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Invest in the future of your company. Get your employees ready for the AI age and secure a decisive competitive advantage while meeting legal requirements.

As an additional resource, we recommend our podcast, which offers you a deeper insight into the topic. Here you will get a more comprehensive insight into the topics of prompting and current AI tools. AI Prompting and Applications Survey