Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are becoming more common in work environments. For accountants, lawyers, and financial services professionals, with high workload and pressure from deadline, the promise of using AI to save time is attractive. However few people are trained on using AI properly and it’s difficult to know where to start and results are often disappointing.
However the good news is that there are some simple, easy to remember, frameworks for creating effective AI prompts. When put into use, you will get genuinely useful responses that can dramatically increase your productivity and reduce the pressure of deadlines.
One of the favourites of the Pro Drive team is the ‘GCSE’ framework. This is not, of course, anything to do with school exams but is instead a way to ensure you provide clear and comprehensive instructions to the AI. Think of it like briefing a colleague: the better the brief, the better the outcome.
| Letter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| G | Goal |
| C | Context |
| S | Sources |
| E | Expectations |
Here’s how it works
Goal
Define Your Goal (Be Specific & Clear). What exactly do you need the AI to do? State the objective clearly using action words, just as you would interpret an exam question. Vague requests yield vague answers.
- Instead of: “Write about the increases in National Insurance.”
- Try: “Summarise the key changes for SMEs in the National Insurance changes in the UK coming in April 2024.”
Context
Provide Context (Set the Scene). AI lacks your professional background. P
- Adding Context: “…present the changes for a client with no financial background to easily understand.”
Sources
Specify Sources (If Applicable). Sometimes, you might want the AI to base its response on specific information (e.g., a document, website or internal guidance). While requiring care, you can sometimes guide the AI on what sources to prioritise or avoid.
- Example: “Using only the information in the webpage https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl”
Expectations
State Your Expectations (Define Format & Boundaries). How should the final output look? Specify the desired format, length, style, or tone. This saves significant editing time.
- Specify Format: “Present the changes in a table format with a written explanation.”
Final prompt
Summarise the key changes for SMEs in the National Insurance changes in the UK coming in April 2024. Present the changes for a client with no financial background to easily understand using only the information in the webpage https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl and Present the changes in a table format with a written explanation.
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Why Does This Matter for Your Firm?
Time is a precious resource and AI can be a great tool to free up more time for you to spend working with your clients. Applying this simple framework will help AI work for you by:
- Getting more relevant results faster.
- Help you get started with reports, client communications, or research.
- Make AI interactions more predictable and productive.
You don’t need to be a technical expert to get meaningful results from AI. By using the GCSE framework anyone can empower themselves to be more productive and it won’t cost your business a penny.
If you need guidance on integrating AI tools securely in your firm, then contact us today on 0330 124 3599 or check out our upcoming events.
