Step-back prompting: Teaching AI to think one step further

Reading time: approx. 8 min

What you will learn

In this lesson, step-back prompting is introduced, an advanced technique that improves AI model performance by instructing it to first consider a more general question related to the specific task. This allows AI to activate relevant background knowledge and reasoning processes before attempting to solve the specific problem.

The basics

Traditional prompts can sometimes lead to generic or superficial responses, especially for complex tasks. Step-back prompting counteracts this by:

1. Step 1: Formulate a "step-back" question: Ask AI to answer a broader, more fundamental question that underlies your original question.

2. Step 2: Use the answer as context: Then feed the answer from the "step-back" question together with your original, specific question.

This process encourages AI to think critically and apply its knowledge in new and creative ways. It can also help mitigate bias in AI responses by focusing on general principles rather than specific details.

Practical examples

Example 1: Create an engaging game narrative

You want AI to write a challenging and engaging narrative for a level in a first-person shooter game.

Step 1: Step-back question

Based on popular action games in the first-person shooter genre, what are 5 fictional key environments that contribute to a challenging and engaging level narrative?

AI response to step-back question:

1. Abandoned military base: A post-apocalyptic military complex filled with mutated soldiers and robots.
2. Cyberpunk city: A neon-lit, futuristic urban environment with tall skyscrapers and dense alleys.
3. Alien spaceship: A massive extraterrestrial vessel stranded on Earth, with eerie corridors.
4. Zombie-infected city: A deserted city overrun by hordes of aggressive zombies.
5. Underwater research facility: A deep-sea laboratory flooded with water.

Step 2: Original prompt with context

Context: 5 engaging themes for a first-person shooter game:
1. Abandoned military base
2. Cyberpunk city
3. Alien spaceship
4. Zombie-infected city
5. Underwater research facility

Choose one of these themes and write a one-paragraph narrative for a new level that is challenging and engaging.

Benefits: By first asking AI to generate relevant themes, it gets a better foundation to then create a more specific and engaging narrative. This leads to a more innovative and less generic result.

Implementation in the classroom

1. History analysis: Ask students to first formulate a broad "step-back" question about the underlying causes of a historical event. Then use AI's response as context to analyze a specific historical event.

2. Science problems: To solve a complex scientific problem, ask AI to first explain the fundamental principles governing the problem. Then use that information to solve the specific problem.

3. Creative text production: Let students use step-back prompting to first brainstorm character traits, environments, or conflicts, and then use these insights to write a specific part of their story.

Next steps

Step-back prompting helps AI reason at a deeper level. In the next lesson, we will focus on how you can instruct AI to explicitly show its reasoning steps to solve complex problems.