If Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were a student again, he would leverage generative AI to build a successful career. “The first thing I would do is learn AI, ” Huang said in a January episode of the “Huge Conversations” show with Cleo Abram, referencing tools like ChatGPT, Gemini Pro, and Grok. “Learning how to interact with AI is much like being someone skilled at asking questions, ” he added. “Prompting AI is very similar. You can’t just ask random questions. Using AI as your assistant requires expertise and artistry in how to prompt it. ” Imagine you are an entrepreneur and someone asks, “Tell me about your business?” You might feel puzzled, since business is complex and such a broad question is hard to answer. But if they ask, “Can you explain the first steps to launching an online retail business?” you can provide a more specific, useful reply. The same principle applies to AI. To ask better questions, think of the chatbot as a child, wrote Lazarus AI prompt director Kelly Daniel for CNBC Make It in February. “You’re talking to a smart kid who wants to please you and follow your instructions, ” Daniel explained. “But this kid doesn’t know all the details about your task or business. They lack context and experience, so it’s your job to supply that background. ” She advised organizing your prompts clearly and concisely so the AI can generate better responses.

Breaking instructions into lists or steps is easier for the model to understand than long paragraphs. Including examples of what you want is also helpful. Following Daniel’s advice, a strong prompt might look like this: I need to deliver a keynote speech at my company’s annual conference. I want it to sound like Bill Gates in his early Microsoft days. The speech should: - Congratulate the team on a successful first quarter. - Acknowledge our progress in marketing and media strategy. - Introduce new productivity goals and inspire employees to reach them. Huang’s perspective comes amid relatively low current use of AI among young Americans — only 11% of those aged 14 to 22 say they use generative AI once or twice weekly, according to a 2024 report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Common Sense Media, and Hopelab. Yet, by 2030, 70% of skills in most jobs may evolve due to AI technology, according to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change report. Mastering AI prompts—and improving question-asking skills in general—will remain valuable for years, so students should invest time in developing them regardless of their intended careers, Huang emphasized. “If I were a student today, no matter if it’s math, science, chemistry, or biology—or any scientific or professional field—I’d ask myself, ‘How can I use AI to perform my job better?’” he said. Looking for a new career that pays more, offers flexibility, or provides fulfillment?Consider CNBC’s new online course, Make a Powerful Career Change and Land a Job You Love. Expert instructors guide you through networking strategies, resume revamping, and confident transitions into your dream job.