What it means
Chain of Thought prompting is asking an AI to 'show its work'. Instead of just jumping to the answer, the model breaks down the problem logically. It's like asking a student to solve a math problem on the blackboard rather than just shouting the result.
Why it matters
It dramatically improves accuracy on complex logic, math, and reasoning tasks. It reduces errors because the AI can 'catch' itself if a step doesn't make sense.