In plain English
Prompt engineering is the practice of designing and refining prompts to get the best possible results from an AI model. It includes techniques such as giving clear instructions and examples, asking the model to reason step by step, assigning it a role, and specifying the output format. It is iterative work, closer to careful writing and testing than to a fixed formula.
Why it matters
As AI tools spread, prompt engineering is becoming a core professional skill, because the difference between a vague and a well-structured prompt is the difference between a generic and a genuinely useful answer.
A worked example
Instead of 'summarise this', a prompt engineer writes 'summarise this in five bullet points for a busy executive, focusing on the decisions required'.
Common confusion
Prompt engineering is not about secret keywords. It is structured, clear communication, refined through testing rather than discovered as a trick.