Interview With Ms. Figen Gözener: What is Prompt Engineering and How Effective Is It?

We sat down with a seasoned tech expert with over 25 years of experience in IT, software testing, project management, and prompt engineering. In this interview, we discussed the essential concepts of prompt engineering for newcomers, discussed practical applications, and explored its ethical and future implications.

Core Questions

Q: How would you define “prompt engineering” for someone just starting? F: Prompt engineering is the art of giving clear, accurate, and effective instructions to AI models. It’s about learning how to communicate with artificial intelligence in a way it understands, just like how we need to be specific when asking a friend for help. You tell the AI what you want, how you want it, and why.

Q: What are the basic principles behind effective prompt design? F: Four main things:

• Clarity – Say exactly what you want.

• Context – Provide background so the AI understands your intent.

• Goal-oriented thinking – Keep your desired outcome in mind.

• Iteration – The first try may not be perfect. Keep testing and refining.

Q: What common mistakes do people make when writing prompts? F: The most frequent ones are:

• Writing too general prompts like “Tell me something.”

• Not defining a clear goal.

• Giving too little or too much context.

To avoid these, I suggest using structured, concise, and example-based prompts. That helps the model give better answers.

 Technical Depth and Applications

Q: Are there model-specific things we should pay attention to? F: Definitely. Every model has its strengths. For example, GPT-4 tends to be analytical, while Claude might respond in a more narrative style. Knowing your model helps you play to its strengths and work around its weaknesses.

Q: What are "few-shot" and "chain-of-thought" prompting, and how do they help? F: Great question.

• Few-shot prompting means showing the AI a few examples so it can learn the pattern. Example: Q: What’s the capital of Turkey? A: Ankara Q: What’s the capital of France? A: …

• Chain-of-thought prompting is about teaching the AI to think step by step. Example: “There are 30 apples. We ate 10. How many are left?” → “First, subtract 10 from 30. That leaves 20.”

These approaches help generate more thoughtful and accurate answers.

Q: What methods do you recommend for testing prompts? F: Try:

• A/B testing – Compare multiple prompts for the same task.

• User feedback – Ask which outputs are most helpful.

• Iterative refinement – Keep editing and retesting your prompts.

The key is not settling for the first result.

Q: Is prompt design different when working with multimodal models (text + images)? F: Yes. When visuals are involved, you need to be more descriptive.

Instead of asking:

“What’s happening in this image?”

Try:

“Analyze the number of people, their gender, and what activities they’re engaged in.”

The more guided your instruction, the better the result.

Ethics and Limitations

Q: How can prompt engineering help reduce AI bias? F: By using inclusive, neutral language. For example, avoiding gender stereotypes like “Only women do this job” can reduce biased outputs. The language you use matters a lot; AI models mirror what you feed them.

Q: How can malicious users be restricted through prompt design? F: By setting ethical limits within the prompt and within the system itself. You can tell the model:

“Don’t generate harmful, misleading, or discriminatory content.”

It’s also about educating users on ethical AI use, not just trusting the system alone.

 Industry Applications and Collaboration

Q: How can companies integrate prompt engineering into their operations? F: Prompt engineering can boost productivity across:

• Customer service – AI-generated replies

• Marketing – Fast content generation

• Automation – Smarter data analysis

It reduces errors, saves time, and improves workflows.

Q: What does collaboration between prompt engineers and software developers look like? F: The prompt engineer defines what the AI should do and how it should behave. The developer then integrates that into an application or system. Together, they create tools where AI does the heavy lifting based on user intent.

The Future of Prompt Engineering

Q: How do you think prompt engineering will change AI development? F: We’re moving into a phase where you won’t need to write code — you’ll just talk to the machine. That opens the door for more people to become creators, not just consumers of technology.

Q: What’s your opinion on “self-improving prompts”? F: It’s a game changer. As AI learns from the user, it will start refining prompts on its own. That’s how we get personal AI assistants — ones that know you.

Q: Will we see new jobs or education paths around this? F: Without a doubt. Titles like:

• “Prompt Coach”

• “AI Conversation Designer”

• “AI Ethics Officer”

…are already being created. Universities and companies are beginning to offer relevant training, too.

Final Thoughts

Q: Any recommended resources for those who want to start learning? F: Yes! I’d recommend:

• Learnprompting.org – A free and practical starting point

• DeepLearning.AI’s Prompt Engineering course

• eBooks like The Art of Prompt Engineering

• Discord servers and LinkedIn groups focused on generative AI

Q: Any questions you’d like to ask us? F: Yes. I’d ask:

“How do you see yourselves shaping the future of AI?”

Because it’s your generation that will define how AI grows, not just through technology, but through ethics, creativity, and purpose.