Prompt engineering at the AI Engineer 2024 conference, as discussed by Zack Witten from Anthropic, emphasizes the nuanced art of crafting effective prompts for AI models like Claude. Key strategies include using XML tags for structured prompts, being specific in instructions to avoid ambiguity, and mimicking the desired tone and style to guide the model's output. Cleaning up grammar and writing prompts in a familiar language can enhance output quality, while prefilling responses can direct output format, such as JSON. Caution is advised against negative prompting and over-reliance on system messages, as human messages tend to elicit better responses. The overarching message is to avoid using language models for tasks better suited to code, underscoring the balance between creativity and systematic coding in prompt engineering. Anthropic continues to refine Claude and promote best practices, while tools like PromptLayer support collaborative prompt development and testing.