How to Write the Perfect AI Prompt, According to OpenAI’s Greg Brockman

(The easiest way to learn AI is just to mess around with it.)

If you’ve been paying even the slightest attention to tech news, you’ve heard that AI is taking the world by storm. In fact, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said recently, “If I were a student today, the first thing I would do is learn AI.” The truth is, that’s not just good advice for students—it’s probably smart for all of us. AI is soon going to become part of everyday work, so why not get a head start on learning how to use it now?

Of course, that leads to a basic but important question: “Cool, but where do I even begin?” You don’t need a PhD or special codes to talk to an AI. Actually, Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI (the folks behind ChatGPT), gave a wonderfully simple structure for writing great AI prompts. If you follow it, you’re much more likely to get helpful answers from these new tools.

The 4-Part Prompt Formula

Brockman’s outline comes from an engineer named Ben Hylak, but it’s easy to learn, even if you’re new to all this:

1. State your goal.

2. Explain the format you want.

3. Give any warnings or guardrails (like “make sure this is actually true”).

4. Dump any extra context the AI might need.

Let’s walk through each step in plain English.

1. State Your Goal

This is the “what” of your request—what do you actually want from the AI?

If you’re planning a trip, maybe you say, “Give me a list of the best medium-length hikes within two hours of San Francisco.” Even better, you can add personal touches like wanting lesser-known trails that are “cool and unique.” That way the AI knows not to send you to the same old tourist spots.

In short, be clear and specific. The more you spell out your goal, the less you’ll have to keep clarifying or asking follow-up questions.

2. Specify Your Preferred Format

Just like you might tell a friend, “Shoot me a quick text” vs. “Send me a detailed email,” you also want to let the AI know how you’d like the information. Do you want bullet points, a short paragraph, a table, or URLs to relevant websites?

In Brockman’s example, he says something along the lines of: “For each hike, list the name, starting address, ending address, distance, drive time, hike duration, and what makes it cool.” That’s a very clear format—it leaves no guesswork for the AI.

If you’re just looking for a casual list, say so. If you want a professional-sounding response with academic citations, let it know. AI tools are flexible—just guide them.

3. Warnings and Guardrails

AI can do amazing things, but it also can make stuff up sometimes. If you’re depending on the AI for accurate facts—like travel times or trail names—you should warn it: “Be careful to make sure these trails exist,” or “Don’t suggest anything more than two hours away.”

These guardrails nudge the AI to double-check facts. Of course, you’ll still want to do your own sanity check, but telling the AI you value accuracy helps reduce the chance it’ll slip you something bogus.

4. Context Dump

Here’s where you just chat with the AI about anything else that might help it give you the best answer. This part can be as messy or informal as you like. Think of it as telling a friend about your situation.

Let’s say you’re planning that San Francisco hike. You could mention, “We’ve already done the popular trails, we usually hike around 5 miles, we love scenic breakfast spots at the end, and we prefer ocean views if possible.” The AI doesn’t automatically know any of that—so toss it all in!

The more background details you share, the more the AI can tailor its answer to your exact needs.

Why This Is Simpler Than You Think

Following these four steps, you might notice two key things:

1. Completeness helps a ton.

   • If you asked a human for hiking spots, they probably already know you hate long drives or love ocean views. AI doesn’t have that info yet. Writing it all out in the prompt fills in those blanks.

2. It’s basically like talking to a friend.

   • You don’t need fancy lingo—just speak naturally. Say, “Hey AI, I’m looking for X, here’s why, here’s how I want it, please focus on accuracy.” Boom, done. That’s the magic of Brockman’s advice: no need to stress about special codes or complicated syntax.

Why You Should Start Experimenting Now

If there’s one thing experts like Jensen Huang keep telling us, it’s that AI’s impact is going to be big—bigger than we might realize. Getting comfortable with prompt writing puts you ahead of the curve. It’s not about being an AI programmer; it’s about knowing how to talk to these tools effectively so they deliver real value.

So take a deep breath, pick a simple question or task you have in mind, and try out this four-part approach. You’ll be surprised how much better AI’s answers can get with just a little structure and clarity. And the best part: if the first response isn’t perfect, you can always tweak your prompt and try again. That’s the beauty of it—AI learns from you, and you learn from AI.

In a Nutshell

• State your goal: Be upfront about what you want.

• Pick a format: Tell the AI how to present its answer.

• Warn about issues: If accuracy matters or certain constraints exist, mention them.

• Dump your context: Add all the little details that might help the AI nail it.

That’s it! Four easy steps to writing prompts that actually get you results. No rocket science or tech jargon required—just plain conversation. So don’t overcomplicate it. And if you’re still hesitating, consider this your invitation to dive in and start playing around with AI. Because honestly, the only real way to learn is to just do it.