Could an AI prompt engineer help you get ahead at work? Artificial intelligence is capable of amazing feats, from writing a novel to creating photorealistic art, but it seems that it isn't so good at extracting exactly what we want. It fails to grasp nuance or overcome poorly worded instructions. That has given rise to the new job of "prompt engineer" – people who are skilled at crafting the precise text instructions needed for AI to produce exactly what is needed – often with salaries of upwards of $375,000 a year. This ability to unlock the potential of AI with their "magic voodoo" may seem like a bit of a fad, but New Scientist found that lots of companies find it surprisingly beneficial – at the moment, at least. The question is whether AI will become better at understanding what humans mean and therefore cut out the intermediaries.

This month we heard about a fascinating AI experiment from a US Air Force colonel. An AI-controlled drone trained to autonomously carry out bombing missions had turned on its human operator when told not to attack targets; its programming prioritised successfully carrying out missions, so it saw human intervention as an obstacle in its way and decided to forcefully take it out. The only problem with the story was that it was nonsense. Firstly, as the colonel told it, the test was a simulation. Secondly, a US Air Force statement was hastily issued to clarify that the colonel, speaking at a UK conference, had "mis-spoke" and that no such tests had been carried out.

This September, financial institutions, venture capitalists, well established businesses, and startups alike joined together in New York City for 4 days of demos, panels, keynotes and roundtable discussions navigating the financial technology landscape. Of the 70 companies that demoed, AI dominated the discussion; with over 15% of companies insisting that "AI" is the driving force behind their tech. As the demos continued, it became increasingly clear that the disparities between those AIs are immense, and the extent to which their functionalities vary should not be overlooked. While Finovate 2016 outlined banks' need to implement AI into their platforms, Finovate 2017 identified several key factors that matter most when choosing a virtual banking assistant. In financial services, an industry overwhelmingly saturated with competition, customer service is the one true differentiator.