In this tech-driven world, when we want to be productive in sectors like governance systems, research, media, education, and public administration, operating Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools matters a lot. Therefore, AI literacy and prompt engineering skills will provide a decisive productivity advantage for the public. This is especially necessary for citizens of the Global South, where opportunities are limited and scaling up skills to the international level can be highly beneficial. In this context, prompt engineering is the ability to design structured and effective instructions for AI systems. This has become a foundational digital competency.
On a global scale, AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini are being integrated into business processes, research, education, governance, and defense planning. Therefore, if we want to use these tools effectively, we need skilled users. In Generative AI, the quality and quantity of outputs truly depend on the quality and precision of the instructions provided. Underlining this fact, a new job opportunity has emerged in the market. This is called AI prompt engineering. It means prompt engineering is not only a technical skill but also a productivity booster across multiple sectors.
AI Prompt Engineering
It is a set of instructions that are well, structured, logical and coherent which tells a generative AI system what to do. As a result, it will help to generate accurate, relevant, and context, sensitive outputs. It covers aspects like: setting the background properly, specifying roles and limitations, and organizing output formats. Moreover, it also entails going through responses a few times, making them better, and critically analyzing AI, generated outcomes.
Understanding Through Example
For example, let us say that an IT delegation is meeting the Prime Minister to discuss the importance of prompt engineering in boosting citizens’ productivity. For this, as a Generative AI user, we should first remember the R.I.S.E.N framework. Here, R stands for Role, I-Instructions, S-Steps, E-End Goal, and N stands for Narrow Constraints.
In the Role section, user must assign the AI a clear role relevant to the situation. In this case, user can say: “You are a Senior IT Consultant preparing a strategic briefing note for a meeting with the Prime Minister on the national importance of prompt engineering and AI literacy”. This ensures that the AI understands the audience is the Prime Minister, so it can adopt a strategic and policy-oriented tone. As a result, it can produce output at a high-level and in a detailed format.
In the Instructions section, user need to make it very clear the kind of output they want the AI to generate. For example, user can say that, “Write a 1000-word strategically focused briefing note to the Prime Minister on how and why prompt engineering should be part of the national digital skills policy”. The instruction should also list areas of focus such as economic growth, governance and innovation, and employment. Hence, users should not give vague instructions such as Tell me about AI or Write something about AI.
The Steps section should break down the task into logically organized parts. The user can instruct the AI that, one must build the strategically focused briefing note to the Prime Minister and should be very specific, and well, structured step by step. For instance, this could include explaining prompt engineering simply, highlighting global trends, pointing out why nations are investing in AI skills, and discussing the risks of not training the workforce. Consequently, the AI will generate a nicely structured and coherent output suitable for high-level policymaking discussions.
The End Goal defines the intended outcome of the document. In this case, the user must instruct the AI that the goal of this strategic document and meeting with the Prime Minister is to initiate a national AI literacy policy and a prompt engineering training program within the next fiscal year.
Narrow Constraints refer to setting boundaries and formatting rules, such as instructing the AI that it should produce only an executive strategic briefing note, with a maximum length of 1000 words (approximately two pages), include five actionable policy recommendations, and avoid technical jargon.
Example Full Prompt Using R.I.S.E.N. to Enter in ChatGPT/Gemini/DeepSeek
“You are a Senior IT Consultant representing an IT delegation and preparing a strategic briefing note for a meeting with the Prime Minister on the national importance of prompt engineering as well as AI literacy. Draft a 1000-word (approximately two-pages) strategic executive note explaining the national importance of prompt engineering. First, define prompt engineering in simple terms. Then explain its impact on productivity, its public sector efficiency, as well as employment generation capacity. Analyze the risks of inaction. Provide five actionable policy recommendations. Conclude with expected economic benefits. Use a formal policy tone. Avoid technical jargon. Maximum 2000 words.”
In this way, we can bridge human expertise and machine capability.
Conclusion
Prompt engineering represents a foundational competency in the emerging AI economy. AI interaction literacy will define competitiveness in the generative AI era.
Therefore, institutionalizing prompt engineering education and training programs is vital. The strategic investment today will be a big factor in the national productivity, government capacity, as well as the economic resilience of the future.
