What is Prompting and Why is it Important?

In today's fast-paced work environment, leveraging AI technology can greatly enhance efficiency and accuracy. This article provides a general overview of prompting techniques, along with guidelines and tips to help you achieve Success with AI.

We have several areas to feed in prompts into the Atlas AI at different levels, however this article will focus on basically user prompts, not global system prompts or KC prompts (pre-configured instructions)

General Guidance on User Prompts

• Be Direct: The more direct your prompt, the less room for misinterpretation.
• Use Conditional Statements: For scenario-based responses, use "if-then" conditions to explore different outcomes.
• Invoke Creativity: Employ phrases like "imagine," "create," or "invent" to generate innovative ideas.
• Iterate Quickly: Don’t hesitate to quickly refine and retry prompts if the initial response isn’t quite right.
• Explore Depth: Use follow-up questions to dive deeper into topics that interest you or if more specific detail is needed.

Guidance & Best Practice for Legal

While the following guidelines are skewed towards the legal industry, the specific terminology can be adapted for other sectors.

Understand the Purpose of your prompt

Define the Goal: Clearly determine what legal information or guidance you seek. Are you looking to compare regulations across jurisdictions, retrieve specific legal precedents, or clarify procedural steps?

Be Specific: The more specific your request, the more relevant and accurate the response from Atlas AI will be.

Example:

• Instead of: "Tell me about company law."
• Use: "Provide the requirements for director appointments in Germany and France, highlighting key differences."

Clarity and Precision

Use Clear Language: Avoid vague terms. When querying legal topics, precise language ensures that Atlas AI delivers the most relevant legal guidance.

Limit Complexity: If the legal question involves multiple aspects, consider breaking it down into more focused prompts.

Example:

• Instead of: "How do we change a company name?"
• Use: "What is the process for changing a company name in the UK, and are there any specific requirements for public companies?"

Contextual Information

Provide Background: When dealing with complex legal queries, provide the necessary context, such as the jurisdiction, type of entity, or specific legal framework.

Set the Tone: Indicate if you need the response to be formal, technical, or in layman's terms, depending on the audience (e.g. clients vs. internal team).

Example:

• "I need a summary of the legal requirements for share transfers in privately held companies in Italy, for an internal legal memo."

Leverage System Capabilities

Use Iterative Prompts: If the initial response isn’t comprehensive, ask follow-up questions or request additional details.

Ask for Comparisons: When dealing with multijurisdictional queries, request direct comparisons between legal frameworks in different countries.

Example:

• "Compare the process of domestic mergers in Spain and Portugal, focusing on shareholder approval requirements."

Experiment with Creative Tasks

Encourage Scenario Analysis: When exploring legal scenarios or implications, prompt Atlas AI to consider various legal outcomes based on different inputs or jurisdictions.

Use Open-ended Prompts: For broader legal strategies or brainstorming, allow for open-ended responses that cover multiple approaches.

Example:

• "What are the potential legal risks associated with transferring shares in a multinational corporation, considering EU regulations?"

Structured Outputs

Request Lists or Bullet Points: For organized legal advice or step-by-step procedures, ask Atlas AI to deliver the information in a list or structured format.

Specify the Format: If you need the legal information in a particular format (e.g., a checklist, table, or comparative matrix), specify it clearly.

Example:

• "List the key legal steps for appointing a director in a private limited company in Singapore, in bullet points."

Manage Expectations

Acknowledge Limitations: Understand that while Atlas AI is highly capable, it may not have real-time updates on all legal developments or jurisdiction-specific nuances.

Use Multi-step Prompts: For comprehensive legal queries or multijurisdictional comparisons, break the query into multiple steps.

Example:

• "First, outline the general process for a business transfer in the United States. Then, provide details on how this process differs in Canada."

Ethical Considerations

Avoid Unethical Use: Be mindful not to request or generate content that could be used unethically, such as circumventing legal requirements or manipulating legal loopholes.

Bias Awareness: Be aware that AI models can reflect biases. Critically evaluate the responses, especially when dealing with sensitive legal matters.

Example:

• Instead of asking for ways to exploit legal gray areas, focus on best practices for legal compliance across jurisdictions.

Experimentation and Iteration

Refine Prompts: Don’t hesitate to refine and iterate your prompts to get more precise and useful legal guidance.

Iterative Approach: Use Atlas AI's responses to gradually refine your inquiry until you achieve the desired level of detail and accuracy.

Example:

• "What are the specific legal challenges in executing a domestic merger in Japan?" (Follow up with requests for recent case law or regulatory updates)

Use Advanced Techniques

Few-shot Learning: Provide a few examples within your prompt to guide Atlas AI on how to respond in the context of multijurisdictional legal queries.

Chain-of-thought Prompting: Encourage Atlas AI to break down its legal reasoning step by step, especially for complex procedural guidance or compliance checks.

Example:

• "Here’s how we handled a business transfer in Germany last year: [provide example]. Now, explain how we should approach a similar transfer in Italy, considering local regulations."

Conclusion

Effective prompting is key to unlocking the full potential of AI. By applying these guidelines and being mindful of the nuances involved, legal professionals can harness AI technology to improve their workflows and decision-making processes. We encourage you to share your experiences and tips on prompting AI as we continue to learn and grow in this innovative space.