Optimizing Generative AI Applications: A Comparative Study of Effective Prompting Techniques

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has emerged as a pivotal technology across various industries, driving advancements in automation, decision-making, and content generation. This paper investigates the efficacy of the prompt engineering methods such as zero-shot, one-shot, and few-shot prompting—in optimizing GenAI systems for diverse applications. Through a comprehensive literature review and an empirical survey involving 13 use cases such as chatbots, content creation, and medical decision support, we evaluate the performance of these prompting methods. The findings reveal that few-shot prompting excels in complex tasks, while zero-shot and one-shot prompting are more effective for simpler tasks. These insights provide practical guidance for leveraging GenAI across different domains, contributing to the advancement of AI-driven solutions.