Marcus runs a barbershop. He asked AI for social media posts. Here's what he got:
generic
Write me social media posts
Looking for a fresh new look? Visit our barbershop today! We offer quality haircuts at affordable prices. Book now! #barber #haircut #freshcut
Corporate garbage. Could be any barbershop on earth. Marcus's instinct? Scrap it and start over with a completely different prompt.
The wrong instinct
That's like throwing away a cake because it's undercooked and starting a new recipe. You don't need a new recipe. You need to figure out what went wrong with this one.
Ask yourself: What did AI NOT know that it needed to? In Marcus's case: no personality, no location, no signature style, no voice. AI filled the blanks with the most generic barbershop on earth.
The fix
Marcus doesn't rewrite from scratch. He adds what was missing:
sounds like you
Write 3 Instagram posts for my barbershop. I'm Marcus, 2-chair shop in Philly. Known for fades and talking Eagles football while I cut. Tone: neighborhood guy, not corporate. How I'd actually talk.
Post 1: 'Sunday fade before Sunday game. You already know the vibes at the chair. Who we got this week? 🦅'
Post 2: 'My man came in looking like he gave up. Left looking like he got the job. That's what the right fade does.'
Post 3: 'If your barber don't know your opinion on Hurts before you sit down, you at the wrong shop.'
Same tool. Same question. Completely different result — because Marcus told AI who he actually is.
Same pattern, different person
Maya is an illustrator. She asked AI for an About Me:
soulless
Write an About Me for my website
Maya is a talented creative professional with a passion for design and illustration. With years of experience bringing ideas to life, she combines artistic vision with strategic thinking to create compelling visual narratives.
LinkedIn-speak. No voice, no style, no personality. AI defaulted to the most generic creative bio possible.
Maya diagnoses it: AI didn't know her style, her tone, or what she hates. She adds what's missing:
actually her
Write an About Me for my illustration portfolio. My style is moody watercolors with nature themes. Tone: slightly poetic, lowercase, no exclamation marks. I hate corporate bios that say 'passionate creative professional.'
maya draws the quiet parts of the natural world — fog settling over ridgelines, the hour before a storm, light filtering through canopy. her work lives in watercolor, always a little moody, always rooted in place. she believes illustration should feel like a held breath, not a sales pitch.
The debugging framework
Every time AI gives you bad output, ask three questions:
1. What did AI not know? (missing context)
2. What did AI assume wrong? (wrong framing)
3. What format did I actually need? (unclear output spec)
Then add what's missing. Don't rewrite from scratch.
Diagnose this
You asked AI 'Help me organize college application deadlines' and got generic tips: 'Create a spreadsheet. Set reminders. Start early. Don't procrastinate.' But you already HAVE a spreadsheet — you needed AI to look at YOUR data and tell you what's missing. Write what went wrong and how you'd fix the prompt.
Think about what AI assumed vs. what you actually needed. The gap between those two things is your fix.
What you learned
Don't restart — diagnose. Ask "what didn't AI know?" and add it.
The debugging skill is more valuable than the prompting skill.