Why Prompt Engineering and Context Engineering Both Miss the Point
There’s a popular idea going around right now about renaming “prompt engineering” to “context engineering.” The argument is that context engineering better captures the true nature of what we’re trying to do with AI.
I think that’s wrong. Let me give you an analogy for why.
The pure way to think about interacting with AI is that it comes down to clear thinking. What’s interesting about this is that it’s the same for writing, coding, and giving presentations.
You can’t really be good at any of those things without being able to think clearly and articulate exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.
The Director Analogy
Imagine you’re a director for a key scene in a major movie. The staff comes up to you and asks, “OK, what’s in this scene?”
This question isn’t about process or tools. It’s about idea, goal, and vision. The degree to which you have a clear answer is the degree to which you’re good at writing, coding, or interacting with AI.
The Prompting Answer
A “prompting” answer to the director question would be:
When I tell people what to do on this set, I issue commands in the following way: I say ‘action,’ I say ‘stop rolling,’ and I say ‘more energy!’ That’s how I’m a good director. The Prompt Engineer
But you haven’t described the scene, the movie, the vision, or what we’re all trying to accomplish. You’ve just given details about syntax.
The Context Engineering Answer
The “context engineering” version would be:
I’m an expert in making this set look exactly like it’s supposed to, with all the different things that need to be on it. I can get old cars, vintage living room setups, any kind of costume, and any type of extras. I’m really good at doing this. The Context Engineer
And the whole staff is still looking at you saying, “OK cool, but what is the scene? What are we trying to do?”
The Real Skill
Both prompt engineering and context engineering focus on the wrong thing. They’re like arguing whether a director needs to be better at shouting “action!” or better at sourcing props.
Whether you’re writing an essay, coding a feature, or interacting with AI, success comes from clarity of purpose and vision. The tools and techniques are secondary to understanding what you’re trying to accomplish.
Summary
- The Prompting vs. Context Engineering debate misses the point.
- Both are critical, but they’re secondary to the bigger problem of unclear thinking.
- If you can’t articulate what you want, prompting and context won’t help you much.
- Focus on the clarity of what you want, and then it’ll be a lot clearer what context—and formatting—you’ll need to improve the outcome.
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