THE PROMPT ECONOMY: CONTEXT IS KING
Value in the Prompt Economy means building a curious and questioning mindset and to challenge established assumptions. Thinking differently is the way to Creative Sector progress.
THE CREATIVE SECTOR is now entering what RethinkCreative is calling the Prompt Economy, in which value will be dictated by the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.
The importance of the ‘prompt’ has been popularised by Artificial Intelligence to describe how human enquiries to unlock machine learning and the first AI-native business roles was ‘Prompt Engineer’, focused on the syntax and format of inputs.
The results, though, have been limited. While there have been significant short-term economic benefits in AI tools, there is little evidence of competitive advantage for business, or fresh ideas for sustainable policy for the Creative Sector. (See AI – Who’s In The Driving Seat)
The most popular AI tools are ubiquitous, often accessed via established and widespread apps.
And more importantly, these early AI tools come with baggage. Large Language Models (LLMs) at the heart of the AI revolution are being built on vast stores of human (too often copyrighted) knowledge and endeavour, but they are also absorbing our limitations, biases and prejudice.
THE RETHINKCREATIVE TAKE
◊ AI has brought the Prompt Economy to prominence.
◊ But value in this new world goes far beyond ‘prompt engineering’ AI models.
◊ Value in the Prompt Economy requires a wider and deeper context.
◊ RethinkCreative workshops help equip clients for success in the Prompt Economy.
As Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations (UN) University and UN Under Secretary-General points out:
“AI systems, especially those based on machine learning, are ultimately just models — approximations of reality, built on often incomplete, biased or overly simplistic data. These models are “wrong” because they can never fully capture the complexity of the real world, but they can still be “useful” when deployed with an understanding of their limitations.
What matters in a Prompt Economy is not the amount of data held, the competency of the tool, or the programming skills of the operator.
Success in the Prompt Economy always comes back to the question. And that goes beyond AI. It is a mindset
Rethink Creative believes that navigating an unpredictable future requires a culture of curiosity, of questioning and challenging our own thinking and the established group-think of industries and policy-making.
It is not easy: The dramatic acceleration of social media, corporate media algorithms, economic and social polarisation has narrowed the context in which decisions our made. It has become harder to recognise our own biases, or the echo chambers, in which we operate.
Generative AI will help resolve these problems and paradoxes as it acquires more autonomous capabilities but that is a long way off and history suggests the benefits will flow to global corporate giants.
In the Prompt Economy, the foundations of change begins with examining our own underlying assumptions and identifying realities that others will miss.
These are the areas where Rethink Creative adds value. We have drawn on a wide range of influences, including behavioural science, cognitive pyschology and social economics to create a Design-Thinking approach, which will help clients understand the context, scope, business culture and key skills to succeed in the Prompt Economy.
