4 ms·
Prompt engineering is an 'oil' alright. It's a lubricant to make models work better. The idea of engineering being backed by solid mathematical understanding i
by screye 4y ago
Prompt engineering is an 'oil' alright. It's a lubricant to make models work better.
The idea of engineering being backed by solid mathematical understanding is a relatively post-calculus idea. For the longest time, we built bridges a certain way, because those are the bridges that stood. We were flying planes long before we understood flight.
At the end of the day, engineering is the cycle of "identify a pain point -> launch experiments -> observe the delta -> apply the solution". Prompt engineering meets all of those requirements and therefore, is engineering.
It is funny to hear this, because 20 years ago : "is software engineering really engineering" was a rather common phrase around STEM circles.
- iandanforth 4y ago"We were flying planes long before we understood flight." This isn't true. Sir George Cayley elucidated several aerodynamic principles significantly in advance of the Wright Brothers first flights. The Wrights took advantage of this knowledge in designing their propellers and planes. We have since learned a lot more about how flight works, but the guiding principles of lift, drag, and thrust predate the mechanical engineering to realize a heavier than air aircraft.