Why your AI prompts are often rubbish
and why this is usually not the fault of AI
Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now. Texts, images, code, answers to almost any question. At the same time, you hear statements like “AI only talks nonsense” or “AI is totally overrated” more and more often. In many cases, however, the problem lies not with AI itself, but with the way it is used.
AI is not currently true intelligence
Even though the term might suggest otherwise, most AI systems today do not think. They have no understanding of truth, no opinion, and no real knowledge. Instead, they work with probabilities. They calculate which answer statistically best matches your input. AI can be thought of more as a very powerful search engine with a text generator.
This also means that AI does not know what you really want unless you tell it.
Unclear questions generate poor answers.
Many prompts are extremely short or imprecise:
“Explain AI to me”
“Why is that wrong?”
“Do it better.”
For a human being, asking questions would be normal. For an AI, it is not. If context, purpose, or framework is missing, it provides a general, cautious answer. Often, this sounds affirmative or superficial. This may seem like a stupid answer, but it is a direct consequence of poor questioning.
Why AI often agrees with you
Many AI models are trained to be helpful and cooperative. If you include a false assumption in your question, it will often accept it rather than question it. Not out of malice, but because it has no internal concept of truth.
Good prompts take work
A good prompt contains:
Context (beginner, advanced, professional)
Goal (explanation, solution, comparison)
Restrictions (technically correct, without simplification, with examples)
Je besser die Frage, desto besser das Ergebnis. KI ersetzt kein Denken, sie verstärkt es.
Conclusion
AI is not an oracle and cannot replace your own understanding. It is a tool. And as with any tool, it is not only the technology that determines the outcome, but above all the user.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about AI and prompts
Why does AI sometimes answer incorrectly even though it sounds convincing?
Because it doesn't check whether something is true, but whether it sounds likely.
Is AI just a better search engine?
In essence, yes, combined with text generation and pattern recognition.
Can AI think logically?
It can reproduce logical structures, but not think or understand them itself.
How do you learn to write good prompts?
Through clear goals, more context and precise wording.
Will AI be truly intelligent at some point?
That remains to be seen. At the moment, we are still a long way from that.