How to Communicate with AI Lesson 4 of 20
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Part 1 - The Basics

4. Give Context (Background the AI Cannot Guess)

Goal: Supply the facts about your situation that change the answer.

The AI does not know your situation unless you tell it. Context is the background that makes the answer fit YOU: your goal, your constraints, what you have already tried, and any facts unique to your case.

Good context is the difference between generic advice and advice you can actually use. A sentence or two of setup often improves the answer more than anything else.

The Script (Template)

Context: [your situation and constraints]. Task: [what you want].

Worked Example

You write
Context: I am a second-year biology student. I have a 10-minute presentation tomorrow on photosynthesis and I get very nervous. I have already made the slides. Task: Give me a 5-step plan to rehearse tonight.
AI replies (sample)
1. Read your slides aloud once, start to finish, without stopping to fix things.
2. Time that run; trim content if you went over 10 minutes.
3. Rehearse again, this time standing and speaking to an imaginary audience.
4. Practise only your opening and closing three more times - strong bookends calm nerves.
5. Do one final relaxed run before bed, then stop; sleep locks it in.
Why it works
Because the AI knew the deadline, the topic, the fear and that slides were done, the plan was realistic and rehearsal-focused instead of generic 'how to present' tips.

Do & Avoid

Tips

  • Answer the AI's likely questions before it has to ask them.
  • Include constraints (time, budget, tools, rules) - they shape the whole answer.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the deadline or constraint that actually decides the advice.
  • Dumping irrelevant context; include what changes the answer, not your life story.

Practice

  • Rewrite a past prompt adding two lines of context about your real situation.
  • Ask for advice on a real task, once without context and once with; compare usefulness.
Teacher Notes Suggested: 20 min

Learning objectives

  • Students distinguish context that changes the answer from noise.
  • Students structure a prompt as Context + Task.

Talking points

  • Contrast 'give me presentation tips' with the worked example.
  • Teach the test: 'Would a human need to know this to help me well?'

Answer key / what good looks like

  • Good context names constraints and goal; irrelevant detail is trimmed.
  • The with-context answer should be noticeably more tailored.

Discussion questions

  • What context should you NOT paste in for privacy reasons? (Preview of Chapter 20.)