# Prompting AI Art: An Investigation into the Creative Skill of Prompt Engineering

**Authors:** Jonas Oppenlaender, Rhema Linder, Johanna Silvennoinen  
**arXiv:** [2303.13534](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.13534)  
**Date:** 2023-03-13  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2303.13534v2/

## Key points

- Prompt engineering is a skill in creating digital content, including AI art
- Crowdsourced participants possess knowledge about art that can be used for writing effective prompts
- Participants were able to evaluate prompt quality and create descriptive prompts but lacked style-specific vocabulary
- Prompt engineering is a non-intuitive skill that requires practice and learning
- Nine guidelines are provided for conducting research on text-to-image generation and prompt engineering with paid crowdsourcing
- Four potential futures for prompt engineering in AI art creation are envisioned

## Summary

In the era of prompt-based learning, known as prompt engineering, anyone can create digital content, including AI art. This paper explores the creative skill of prompt engineering in the context of text-to-image generation. The authors conducted a pilot study and found that many crowdsourced participants possess knowledge about art that can be utilized for writing effective prompts. Subsequently, they conducted three additional studies to investigate whether these participants could apply their knowledge in practice. The studies focused on participants' ability to discern prompt quality, write prompts, and refine prompts. The results showed that while participants were able to evaluate prompt quality and create descriptive prompts, they lacked the style-specific vocabulary necessary for effective prompting. This finding supports the hypothesis that prompt engineering is a non-intuitive skill that must be acquired through practice and learning. The studies contribute to a deeper understanding of prompt engineering and provide nine guidelines for conducting research on text-to-image generation and prompt engineering with paid crowdsourcing. The paper concludes by envisioning four potential futures for prompt engineering in AI art creation. Overall, this research sheds light on the importance of developing prompt engineering skills and highlights avenues for future exploration in this field.