Chain of Thought Prompting

Chain of thought (CoT) prompting is a technique that makes AI "show its work." By asking the AI to think step-by-step, you get more accurate, logical, and thorough responses.

Why It Works

When you ask an AI to jump straight to an answer, it might miss important considerations. Chain of thought forces the AI to:

1. Break down the problem
2. Consider each step logically
3. Catch errors in reasoning
4. Provide transparent explanations

The Magic Phrases

Add these to your prompts for step-by-step reasoning:

• "Think step by step"
• "Let's work through this logically"
• "Walk me through your reasoning"
• "Explain your thought process"
• "Before answering, consider..."

When to Use Chain of Thought

CoT works best for:

• Math problems - "Calculate the total, showing each step"
• Logic puzzles - "Solve this riddle, explaining your reasoning"
• Complex decisions - "Analyze the pros and cons before recommending"
• Debugging - "Walk through the code line by line to find the bug"
• Analysis - "Consider multiple perspectives before concluding"

Examples

Without Chain of Thought

Prompt: "Should I lease or buy a car?"

Response: "It depends on your situation." (Not helpful!)

With Chain of Thought

Prompt: "I'm deciding whether to lease or buy a car. Think step by step. Consider: my budget is $400/month, I drive 15,000 miles/year, I like having the newest features, and I plan to keep the car for 5 years. What should I do?"

Try it in the playground:

Key Takeaway

Chain of thought is especially powerful for complex questions where you need the AI to consider multiple factors. It's like asking a colleague to "think out loud" - you get better reasoning and can spot where they might go wrong.