One of the most practical applications of AI language models is their ability to process and condense large amounts of text. Whether you need to understand the gist of a long article, pull out specific data points, or create concise summaries, the right prompts are key to getting efficient and accurate results.

Prompting for Summarization

When asking an AI to summarize, be clear about the desired length and focus:

• Specify Length: "Summarize the following text in 3 sentences." or "Provide a one-paragraph summary of this article." or "Condense this into 5 key bullet points."
• Define the Audience/Purpose: "Summarize this research paper for a non-technical audience." or "Write a summary of this news report focusing on the financial implications."
• Highlight Key Aspects: "Summarize the provided text, emphasizing the main arguments and conclusions."

Example: "Summarize the following article about renewable energy in approximately 150 words, focusing on the benefits and challenges:"
[Paste article text here]

Prompting for Information Extraction

If you need specific pieces of information from a text, clearly tell the AI what to look for:

• Ask Direct Questions: "From the text provided, what was the main cause of the event?"
• Request Specific Data Points: "Extract all dates mentioned in this document." or "List the names of all companies mentioned in this report."
• Format the Output: "Extract the product name, price, and customer rating from the following reviews and present them in a table format." (This combines extraction with structured output prompting).

Example: "From the following company press release, extract the new CEO's name, the effective date of their appointment, and their previous role:"
[Paste press release text here]

Tips for Better Summarization and Extraction:

• Provide Sufficient Context: Always give the AI the full text it needs to work with. Don't assume it knows what "the article" refers to without providing it.
• Be Specific: The more specific your instructions, the better the AI can narrow down its focus.
• Iterate if Necessary: If the first summary is too long or misses key points, refine your prompt. "That's a good start, but can you make it more concise and focus on X?"
• Consider "Negative" Constraints: "Summarize this, but do not include any personal opinions."

Mastering prompts for summarization and extraction can dramatically boost your productivity, helping you quickly digest information and find the details you need.