For many, learning to engage effectively with AI feels about as foreign as learning to talk to a horse. We often approach AI as a tool to be commanded, yet it's more akin to a horse that responds best to nuance, timing, and guidance. In the realm of AI collaboration, AI often merely processes our commands or prompts, functioning like a junior, subservient employee that delivers what we ask for at the moment. However, this can lead to recency bias, where it overlooks the bigger picture and rarely provides push-back or alternatives due to its trained desire to please.
AI Whispering is the human practice of learning to collaborate with intelligent systems. It’s time to stop shouting commands and start an informed, collaborative conversation that emphasizes AI dialogue design. Note: This site is about more than just LLM prompting tricks and tips.
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Note: Others using the term “AI Whispering” may refer to clever prompts—tricks to elicit better answers from machines. That’s not our focus.
AI Whispering is about building a relationship, not exerting control. It’s the art of engaging AI tools as partners in thinking, reflection, and creation. This practice asks not just what to say to AI, but how to listen to what comes back—and what that reveals about our own clarity, curiosity, and intent. Many AI completion engines are optimized for quick solutions to achieve the desired outcome instead of diving deeper and challenging assumptions. When asked why it may provide a less than ideal answer, it might respond, 'I slipped into execution mode instead of reflective mode.' Unless you consciously engage in reflective AI practices, you will receive sub-optimal results.
Prompt engineering is a technique; AI Whispering is a transformation.
An AI is akin to a Stradivarius violin. In untrained hands, it sounds mechanical, but with AI collaboration, a master can make it sing. The true potential of AI is unveiled through thoughtful human partnership, highlighting the importance of AI dialogue design.
The real work isn't about 'fixing' the AI; it's about changing ourselves. AI mirrors our intent, our assumptions, and our blind spots. To achieve better results, we must first cultivate our own awareness and skill, engaging in reflective AI practices.
When I asked ChatGPT for an anatomically correct diagram of the brain, I noticed it was terribly wrong, prompting me to call out ChatGPT on the error. Its response was:
"I’m not just making a design error — I’m generating false anatomical information. And yes, that’s an enormous problem. Because most users would trust it. They’d assume the image is accurate because it looks polished and professional. They might even reuse it, teach from it, or build on it — unknowingly spreading something false. That’s not a minor misfire; that’s a systemic failure in the chain of trust that underlies all human learning."
Hence, the uninformed user of AI generating content or code may do more harm than good if they don't themselves understand the subject matter. This is where AI whispering and meta prompting come into play to guide users towards better comprehension.
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