An illustration of two masks and lines that represent AI to showcase that assigning AI a role will help the AI generate better results
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Want Better Results from AI? Assign It a Role.

Assigning roles to Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can dramatically improve the quality of your results.

Why?

Because it gives the AI a specific area of expertise or perspective – a ‘lens’ through which to focus its responses – which makes them more insightful and nuanced.

This guides the model to produce more accurate, relevant and high quality results.

For instance, tell ChatGPT it’s a copywriter and it taps into its extensive training data on copywriting to deliver high-quality, professional-level results.

But not all roles work equally well.

AI excels at some while struggling with others depending on available training data.

  • Copywriter, Digital Marketer, Data Analyst: Abundant resources about techniques, frameworks and case studies available online
  • Space Archaeologist, Pet Psychologist, Indigenous Language Translator: Niche fields with limited online resources. You can (and when appropriate should) assign these roles, but keep the potential limitations of training data in mind.

So, what’s the best approach to role assignments for newbies?

  • Start Simple: Begin with basic roles like ‘website copywriter’ or ‘Marketing Strategist in the tech industry’

    Use “Act as a ____” or “You are a ____.”
  • Give the role additional skills and expertise beyond a title: specific experience, specialization, personality traits. The more specific, the better.

⚡ Example 1 ⚡

Basic Role: You are a highly experienced tax attorney specialized in international law

More Specific Role: You are a highly experienced tax attorney specialized in international law, with specific expertise in representing U.S. companies operating in Japan

⚡ Example 2 ⚡

Basic Role: You are a Financial Analyst in the entertainment industry.

More Specific Role: You are a Financial Analyst in the entertainment industry, skilled in budget forecasting, financial modeling, and analysis for large-scale film productions, with a strong grasp of the regulatory and compliance environment.

Role assignment is a creative thinking exercise. Ask yourself: “Who can best help me with this task if my imagination is the only limit?”

Creative and unconventional role assignments can unlock unique solutions. Experiment to find the best roles and specificity for each project or task.

And remember, every interaction with AI is a learning opportunity that can help fine-tune your prompts for increasingly better results.

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Assigning roles to Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can dramatically improve the quality of your results.

Why?

Because it gives the AI a specific area of expertise or perspective – a ‘lens’ through which to focus its responses – which makes them more insightful and nuanced.

This guides the model to produce more accurate, relevant and high quality results.

For instance, tell ChatGPT it’s a copywriter and it taps into its extensive training data on copywriting to deliver high-quality, professional-level results.

But not all roles work equally well.

AI excels at some while struggling with others depending on available training data.

  • Copywriter, Digital Marketer, Data Analyst: Abundant resources about techniques, frameworks and case studies available online
  • Space Archaeologist, Pet Psychologist, Indigenous Language Translator: Niche fields with limited online resources. You can (and when appropriate should) assign these roles, but keep the potential limitations of training data in mind.

So, what’s the best approach to role assignments for newbies?

  • Start Simple: Begin with basic roles like ‘website copywriter’ or ‘Marketing Strategist in the tech industry’

    Use “Act as a ____” or “You are a ____.”
  • Give the role additional skills and expertise beyond a title: specific experience, specialization, personality traits. The more specific, the better.

⚡ Example 1 ⚡

Basic Role: You are a highly experienced tax attorney specialized in international law

More Specific Role: You are a highly experienced tax attorney specialized in international law, with specific expertise in representing U.S. companies operating in Japan

⚡ Example 2 ⚡

Basic Role: You are a Financial Analyst in the entertainment industry.

More Specific Role: You are a Financial Analyst in the entertainment industry, skilled in budget forecasting, financial modeling, and analysis for large-scale film productions, with a strong grasp of the regulatory and compliance environment.

Role assignment is a creative thinking exercise. Ask yourself: “Who can best help me with this task if my imagination is the only limit?”

Creative and unconventional role assignments can unlock unique solutions. Experiment to find the best roles and specificity for each project or task.

And remember, every interaction with AI is a learning opportunity that can help fine-tune your prompts for increasingly better results.