'A Keen Sense of Language Is Essential When Dealing with AI’

AI tools are on the rise in many industries. In order for them to deliver good results, you need people who know how to communicate with artificial intelligence. Just like Daniel Strauss – he works as a prompt engineer at the agency i22.

Werksgelände: What does a prompt engineer actually do?

Daniel Strauss: As a prompt engineer, I am responsible for controlling large language models such as ChatGPT. My main role is to coordinate AI initiatives across the organization to ensure that such language models behave according to our expectations and are adaptable for different business contexts. I work closely with the technical and operational teams to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of our AI systems.

What experience or talents should you have for the job?

Strong language skills are essential as the job mainly revolves around dealing with large language models. The role is often very communicative; it involves coordinating and communicating between different teams on AI initiatives. A basic technical understanding is a great advantage. Programming skills will help to better understand technical issues and test prompts more efficiently.

What appeals to you about your job?

For me, this profession is the ideal interface between the humanities and technology, a combination I have always yearned to work in. I didn’t want to have to choose between my creative passions and a career as a pure programmer. Working with generative AI allows me to integrate both while working at the forefront of current technological possibilities.

The control of generative AI systems requires not only a solid technical understanding, but also a highly tuned linguistic sensitivity.

- Daniel Strauss

What are the biggest challenges in your job?

The biggest challenge is to bring together knowledge from different domains. Controlling generative AI systems requires not only a solid technical understanding, but also a highly tuned linguistic sensitivity. Finding the right balance between these aspects is an exciting but major challenge. Added to this is the rapid development in the field of AI, which requires continuous training and adaptation.

What has been your biggest flop on the job so far, and what have you learnt from it?

My biggest flop to date was taking on a project without sufficient knowledge of the specific requirements, which led to a lengthy project delay. In this area in particular, I underestimated how complex the requirements were and how important a deeper understanding of the specific area of expertise is. From this experience, I learned how important it is to conduct a thorough requirements analysis before starting a project and to ensure that all the necessary resources and knowledge are in place to complete the project successfully.

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