Prompt Engineering - SHORTEN Prompt

Using the SHORTEN directive, we can leverage ChatGPT's capabilities to generate shorter and more concise responses. This technique enables us to communicate our intentions or queries more efficiently, allowing for quicker interactions and improved user experience.

Understanding the SHORTEN Directive

The SHORTEN directive prompts ChatGPT to provide shorter and more concise responses. By incorporating the SHORTEN directive in our prompts, we can harness ChatGPT's language generation abilities to generate succinct and to-the-point replies.

The basic syntax for the SHORTEN directive is as follows −

User: Can you explain the concept of artificial intelligence in a few words?
ChatGPT: Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines.

In this example, the user asks for a brief explanation of the concept of artificial intelligence. The response from ChatGPT includes a concise and shortened explanation generated based on the given prompt.

Best Practices for Using the SHORTEN Directive

To make the most of the SHORTEN directive, let's consider the following best practices −

  • Be Clear and Specific − When using the SHORTEN directive, ensure that your prompt clearly conveys the information or question you want to shorten. By providing clear context, you increase the likelihood of receiving a concise response.

  • Focus on Key Information − Prompt ChatGPT to provide the most crucial or essential information related to the query. Emphasize the main points or core aspects that need to be communicated in the shortened response.

  • Avoid Ambiguity − Phrase your prompts in a way that leaves no room for ambiguity. Be explicit in what you want to shorten or the specific details you are seeking. This helps ChatGPT generate more focused and accurate responses.

  • Use Proper Syntax and Grammar − Even though the response is intended to be shorter, it's important to maintain proper syntax and grammar. Encourage ChatGPT to provide concise yet grammatically correct responses for better comprehension.

Example Application − Python Implementation

Let's explore a practical example of using the SHORTEN directive with a Python script that interacts with ChatGPT

import openai

# Set your API key here
openai.api_key = 'YOUR_API_KEY'

def generate_chat_response(prompt):
   response = openai.Completion.create(
      engine="text-davinci-003",
      prompt=prompt,
      max_tokens=100,
      temperature=0.7,
      n=1,
      stop=None
   )
   return response
user_prompt = "User: Can you explain the theory of relativity in a few words?\n"
chat_prompt = user_prompt + "ChatGPT: [SHORTEN: Theory of relativity]"

response = generate_chat_response(chat_prompt)
print(response)

In this example, we define a function generate_chat_response() that takes a prompt and uses the OpenAI API to generate a response using ChatGPT. The chat_prompt variable contains the user's prompt and the ChatGPT response, including the SHORTEN directive to request a concise explanation of the theory of relativity.

Output

When we run the script, we will receive the generated response from ChatGPT, which includes a shortened explanation of the theory of relativity.

In our example, the user prompt is "Can you explain the theory of relativity in a few words?" and ChatGPT would respond with an output like the one shown here −

The theory of relativity states that space and time are relative to the observer.

Conclusion

In this chapter, we explored the SHORTEN directive in prompt engineering for ChatGPT. Using the SHORTEN directive, we can prompt ChatGPT to generate shorter and more concise responses.

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