The Evolution of AI Prompting: From Basic to Super Advanced

When I first started using AI tools, prompting felt like a guessing game—simple requests with mixed results. Over time, as AI capabilities grew and I refined my approach, prompting became a powerful skill, which may soon become obsolete. From basic queries to super advanced, context-rich prompts, the evolution of AI prompting mirrors the growth of AI itself. Here’s how my prompting journey unfolded and what I’ve learned along the way through this short-lived art form.

The Basics: Simple Prompts for Simple Needs

My earliest prompts, using AI to generate poetry in historical styles and sci-fi stories, were straightforward, designed to get quick answers with minimal setup. I’d use a basic structure:

Context: You are a 16th-century English peasant.
Return Info: Write a daily journal about your day.
Format: A ballad-style poem.

The results were fun but often lacked full cohesion, requiring me to tweak the output manually. These prompts were like sending a postcard: short, to the point, but limited in detail—and at the time, a more detailed prompt wasn’t always better.

Adding Depth: Context, Setting, and Constraints

As I gained experience, I tested AI with coding tasks and expanded my prompts to include more structure:

Context: You are a QA engineer.
Setting: Working on a SaaS app with a React frontend and Node.js backend.
Return Info: Write a Cypress test for a login form.
Format: JavaScript code block with comments.
Avoid: Using deprecated APIs or hard-coded values.

This approach yielded better results, as the AI could tailor its response to the specific environment and avoid common pitfalls. It was like writing a detailed letter instead of a postcard, giving the AI more to work with.

Exploring Other Prompt Styles

I also experimented with other prompt styles to suit different needs:

Chain-of-Thought Prompts: Helped with complex problem-solving: “Explain step-by-step how to debug a flaky Cypress test.”
Role-Based Prompts: Added personality: “Act as a senior QA engineer and review this test script.”
One-Shot Prompts: Provided examples: “Here’s a sample test; write another in the same style.”

Each style offered unique benefits, teaching me to adapt my prompts to the task at hand, whether I needed code, explanations, or reviews.

Super Advanced Prompts: The Power of Large Context

As AI context windows widened, token allowances grew, and computational power became cheaper, AI development companies began to understand the benefits of large context and training. This ushered in super advanced prompts that leveraged detailed templates. Here’s an example of my advanced prompt structure:

Context: I’m a QA lead optimizing a Cypress test suite for a legacy e-commerce app.
Analysis Scope: Analyze the existing test suite for performance bottlenecks, focusing on API calls and UI interactions, and suggest optimizations.
Return Info: Provide a detailed optimization plan with code snippets.
Format: Markdown report with sections for analysis, recommendations, and code.
Constraints: Avoid increasing test runtime, ensure compatibility with Cypress 10.x, and prioritize maintainability.

These prompt details, built on massive context, allowed AI to deliver highly tailored, actionable insights, transforming it into a true collaborator.

Lessons from the Prompting Journey

Start Simple: Basic prompts (Context, Return Info, Format) are a great entry point for quick tasks.
Add Specificity: Include setting and constraints to improve accuracy and relevance.
Experiment with Styles: Try chain-of-thought, role-based, or one-shot prompts to match your needs.
Embrace Advanced Prompts: Use large context and detailed templates to unlock AI’s full potential as a collaborator.

The evolution of AI prompting—from basic queries to super advanced, context-rich templates—has transformed how I work with AI. What started as a guessing game has become a strategic skill, enabling me to leverage AI as a powerful partner in test automation and beyond. How has your prompting journey evolved? Let’s share insights!