Mathematics: Artificial Intelligence

Developed by AI educator Dave Birss, C.R.E.A.T.E. stands for the steps involved in writing an effective prompt, as follows:

C - Context: What is the material for?
     Example: “For a sophomore English class, please give me some topics about the Beat poets”

R - Result: What do you want the AI system to produce?
     Example: “Please give me a bullet-point list”

E - Explain: Give more detail as necessary.
     Example: “I already have enough on Allen Ginsburg, please concentrate on other poets”

A - Audience: Who will be reading, listening to, or viewing what you create?
     Example: “For a speech to be given in class with sophomore students and a professor”

T - Tone: How do you want the output to sound or read? This can be an emotional tone like “upbeat” or “thoughtful,” or more tailored toward the audience, like “professional” or “scholarly.” So a prompt could start with something like, “Using an academic tone…”. 

E - Edit: As you see the AI system’s answers, you will likely find surprises that will lead you to change your prompt. You might need to add more precise terms or tell the system to leave out or concentrate on certain aspects of the topic. You could also narrow by geography, time period, or another factor that helps you get an answer that better meets your needs.