Prompts are specific words, phrases, or questions used to initiate a response or action. In the context of AI or chatbots, prompts are used to request specific information or trigger a particular type of response from the system. These prompts can be used to engage users in conversation, gather information, or guide them through a process. In the case of AI language models like me, prompts are essential for providing context and direction for generating relevant and coherent responses to user queries.