How to Write Effective Prompts for AI Vision & AI Insights
AI Vision and AI Insights help you analyze images, observations, and text in Certainty. The quality of the output depends heavily on the quality of the prompt. This guide shows you how to write clear, effective prompts that produce accurate, actionable results.
AI Vision and AI Insights help you analyze images, observations, and text in Certainty. The quality of the output depends heavily on the quality of the prompt.
What Is a Prompt?
A prompt is the instruction you give the AI. It tells the system what you want, how you want it delivered, and what context matters.
A strong prompt includes:
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Context (what the image or text represents)
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Task (what you want the AI to do)
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Constraints (format, length, tone, scoring rules)
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Output style (bullets, summary, risk rating, recommended actions)
Prompting for AI Vision (Image Analysis)
AI Vision analyzes photos from inspections, audits, and observations. Your prompt should tell the AI what to look for, how to interpret it, and how to structure the output.
Recommended Prompt Structure
Use this 4‑part structure:
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Context What the image represents (equipment, site area, hazard, defect, etc.)
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Objective What you want the AI to identify or evaluate.
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Criteria Any rules, standards, or definitions the AI should apply.
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Output Format How you want the results delivered.
AI Vision Prompt Templates
A. Hazard Identification
Prompt: “You are analyzing a workplace safety photo. Identify any visible hazards, unsafe conditions, or non‑compliant behaviors. Categorize each hazard by type (e.g., slip/trip, electrical, PPE, housekeeping). Provide a severity rating from 1–5 and recommended corrective actions.”
B. Equipment Condition Assessment
Prompt: “Analyze this equipment for signs of wear, damage, leaks, corrosion, or missing components. List each issue, describe the evidence in the image, and assign a risk level (Low/Medium/High). Include recommended next steps.”
C. Compliance Check
Prompt: “Review this image for compliance with safety standards. Identify any violations related to PPE, signage, barriers, or procedures. Provide a pass/fail summary and list all non‑compliant elements.”
D. Root Cause Indicators
Prompt: “Identify any visible conditions that may contribute to root causes such as poor housekeeping, inadequate controls, improper storage, or equipment misuse. Provide a short explanation for each.”
AI Vision: Do & Don’t
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Describe the context | Assume the AI knows the site or equipment |
| Specify what to analyze | Use vague instructions like “tell me what you see” |
| Request structured output | Ask for long paragraphs |
| Define severity or scoring | Leave interpretation open-ended |
| Mention standards or categories | Use unclear or subjective language |
Prompting for AI Insights (Text Analysis)
AI Insights analyzes written observations, comments, incident descriptions, audit notes, and more. Your prompt should guide the AI to extract meaning, classify content, or generate insights.
Recommended Prompt Structure
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Context What the text represents (observation, incident report, audit note)
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Task Summarize, classify, extract risks, rewrite, or generate insights
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Criteria Categories, scoring, tone, or rules to apply
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Output Format Bullets, table, summary, risk rating, recommendations
AI Insights Prompt Templates
A. Summarize an Observation
Prompt: “Summarize this observation in 2–3 sentences. Highlight the main issue, contributing factors, and potential impact.”
B. Extract Hazards & Risks
Prompt: “Extract all hazards, unsafe behaviors, and risk indicators from this text. Categorize them and assign a severity rating from 1–5.”
C. Rewrite for Clarity
Prompt: “Rewrite this observation in clear, professional language suitable for an audit report. Keep it factual and concise.”
D. Generate Corrective Actions
Prompt: “Based on this observation, generate 3–5 corrective actions. Each action must be specific, measurable, and assigned to a responsible role.”
E. Classify the Observation
Prompt: “Classify this observation into the following categories: PPE, Equipment, Housekeeping, Behavior, Environment, Procedure. Provide the category and a one‑sentence justification.”
AI Insights: Do & Don’t
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Give the AI a clear task | Ask for “insights” without direction |
| Define categories | Let the AI guess your taxonomy |
| Request structured output | Accept unstructured text |
| Specify tone or length | Leave formatting open |
| Provide examples | Assume the AI knows your organization’s style |
Strong vs weak prompts (Examples)
Weak Prompt
“What’s wrong in this photo”
Strong Prompt
“Analyze this photo for safety hazards. Identify slip/trip hazards, missing PPE, improper storage, or equipment damage. Provide a severity rating (1–5) and recommended corrective actions in bullet points.”
Weak Prompt
“Summarize this”
Strong Prompt
“Summarize this observation in 2–3 sentences. Highlight the main issue, contributing factors, and potential risk. Use clear, professional language.”
Prompt patterns you can reuse
Pattern 1: Identify + Categorize + Rate
“Identify all issues, categorize them, and assign a severity rating.”
Pattern 2: Summarize + Extract + Recommend
“Summarize the text, extract hazards, and provide corrective actions.”
Pattern 3: Describe + Compare + Conclude
“Describe what you see, compare it to expected standards, and state whether it is compliant.”
Tips for getting better results
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Be specific about what you want
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Use categories the AI can follow
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Ask for structured output (bullets, tables, ratings)
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Include context (equipment type, location, inspection type)
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Keep prompts short but clear
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If the output isn’t right, refine the prompt and try again
Ready-to-Use prompt library (Copy/Paste)
AI Vision
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“Identify hazards and assign severity ratings.”
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“Check this equipment for damage or missing components.”
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“List all compliance issues visible in this image.”
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“Provide root cause indicators based on visual evidence.”
AI Insights
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“Summarize this observation in 2–3 sentences.”
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“Extract hazards and categorize them.”
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“Rewrite this text in clear, professional language.”
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“Generate corrective actions based on this description.”
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