Painless AI Lab – A Hong Kong Practitioner’s Real-World AI Journey (Part 2):
Hi everyone, welcome back to Painless AI Lab.
In my first post, I explained why I started this journey.
Today, let’s talk about something very practical — how we actually communicate with AI.
1. How Humans Talk to Humans
We use language — English, Cantonese, Mandarin, etc. When I chat with friends in Cantonese or discuss work in English, we understand each other quite naturally because we share common context.
2. How Humans Talk to AI
Talking to AI is similar, but different in one important way.We are speaking to a machine. The bridge between us and the machine is called a Prompt. The clearer and better your prompt is, the better the result you will get.
3. Two Main Ways to Communicate with AI
- Method 1: Natural Language (Prompts) – The easiest way
You just type normal sentences in English or Chinese.
Example: “幫我寫一封有禮貌但堅定的電郵給供應商，要求減價 10%” - Method 2: Programming (Python, etc.) – For advanced users
This is more structured and powerful, but you need some technical knowledge.
4. What Can You Do with Good Prompts? Once you learn how to write good prompts, AI becomes surprisingly powerful. Here are some real examples:
- Text to Image: Turn words into pictures
Example: “A rainy night in cyberpunk Hong Kong, neon lights, cinematic style” - Text to PowerPoint / Documents:
“Create a professional 10-slide presentation about AI in supply chain management” - Text to App: Describe what you want and AI can help generate simple apps
- Daily Work: Write emails, summarize meetings, analyze data, create Excel formulas, etc.
The key point is:
You no longer need to be a professional programmer. With good prompting skills, a normal person can now do things that only developers could do before.
Final Thought:
Learning how to talk to AI is becoming one of the most valuable skills in 2026 — just like learning English opened many doors in the past.
In the coming posts, I will share:
- Practical prompt techniques with examples
- My favorite AI tools right now
- Real cases of how I use AI in daily life and investing
Stay tuned for the next article!
Prompt (Text to Image) Example:
A rainy night in cyberpunk Hong Kong, neon lights, cinematic style”
