We discuss Prompt Declaration Language (PDL), a revolutionary approach to AI infrastructure that addresses the current "black-box" nature of prompt engineering. It argues that traditional methods, relying on unpredictable "magic prompts", are unsustainable and lead to a scalability crisis in enterprise AI. PDL, developed by IBM and open-sourced, utilizes a transparent, YAML-based declarative language to define AI interactions and workflows, transforming opaque prompts into version-controlled, debuggable, and optimizable components. This shift promises to make AI development more akin to traditional software engineering, enabling collaboration, reliability, and improved performance through explicit, reviewable, and testable AI logic. The text emphasizes that embracing such transparent and accountable AI practices is crucial for future innovation and trustworthiness in AI systems.

Bit & Being - PDL is to Prompts as git was to Code

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