Code Is data that expresses instructions to some processing unit for it to do tasks.
Prompts fit that description very well so I don't find that provocative or controversial at all.
The fact that traditionally the execution unit was very rigid and that the language used to express instructions was distant from human natural language is more of a consequence of an implementation rather than a fundamental distinction between code and data
To instruct is akin to providing an input. Where do we input to? The program. The program is programmed; but most importantly, the input is not programmed in the sense the program is programmed. It is, perhaps, thoughfully designed (or not). This role is best described as Prompt Designing or Prompt Engineering, not Prompt "Programming". In any case, it is indeed very important. But in my respectful opinion, it is not programming.
It's kind of like thinking that entering a query into a search engine is programming - a host of techniques can be utilized to optimize how that input effects the output (tomes can be written on this just as they can for LLM prompt design by now).
I can kind of defend that premise but it breaks the meaning of conventional usages, and creates more confusion than it brings clarity.
Prompts fit that description very well so I don't find that provocative or controversial at all.
The fact that traditionally the execution unit was very rigid and that the language used to express instructions was distant from human natural language is more of a consequence of an implementation rather than a fundamental distinction between code and data