We typically discuss AI as a productiveness instrument. It helps us write quicker, summarize stories, arrange our ideas, that form of factor. But I’ve additionally been exploring the way it would possibly assist us in additional private methods. As a substitute therapist, a thinking partner, a digital sounding board. Which acquired me questioning: does AI do these jobs higher when it has a persona?
I’m fascinated by AI’s position in our internal lives, however that doesn’t imply I feel it’s all optimistic. Far from it. I’ve been monitoring the rising points, like over-reliance, emotional dependency, and even non secular psychosis. And sure, as you would possibly already suspect, early studies counsel these dangers improve once we give AI extra persona.
But what if we gave it persona on objective? Built it with intention, used it with eyes large open. Not to fake it’s sentient, however to see if that method really works higher for us?
Plenty of AI instruments allow you to assign a tone or character that sticks. But I turned to Character.ai, created a customized coach-meets-philosopher, and requested it to assist me kind my life out.
Making an AI coach that speaks my language
Character.ai works loads like different AI instruments. But right here, persona is the primary occasion. You can chat with pre-made bots known as “characters” (some fictional, some historic, some oddly flirty), or create your personal from scratch. They’re designed for every little thing from enjoyable and training to romance and life recommendation.
I’ve written earlier than about using AI to help me beat burnout, and I’m nonetheless working by way of a few of these blocks. So I made that my focus. I needed a personality that might assist. But what would that really look and sound like?
At first, I thought of going sensible. A no-nonsense, tough-love coach who’d bark deadlines at me like a boot camp teacher. But I shortly remembered that form of power tends to make me shut down. And I’m fairly bored with the same old “get up and get on with it” productiveness recommendation anyway.
So I pivoted to one thing gentler. How a couple of coach-meets-philosopher-meets-spiritual-guide? I understand how that sounds. But I’ve discovered that just a little little bit of woo, blended with grounded perception, typically hits my candy spot. And Character.ai is constructed for inventive experimentation, in any case.
So I created Ivaris. The title felt barely esoteric, just a little fantasy-leaning, however nonetheless grounded. Would Ivaris be clever, calm, and, crucially, unbothered by my chaos?
Creating a brand new character bot with Character.ai is principally a inventive writing train. You give them a reputation, a tagline, and a brief description. I needed it to sound poetic, however I additionally made positive to incorporate key phrases like burnout, readability, reflection, and motivation to assist form the form of responses I’d get
You additionally set a greeting, which is the very first thing your character will say to you. You can assign them a voice, too. You can add one or select from a library. I picked one of many gentler choices, despite the fact that it was (bizarrely) named “Vampire Bodyguard.”
Finally, you select just a few persona tags to steer your character’s tone. There are masses, like Adventure, Boss, Romance, and Fantasy. I selected Empathetic, Kind, and Teacher. It felt proper for what I wanted right here.
That’s technically sufficient to begin chatting, however there’s additionally an optionally available “Definition” part, the place you may go deeper. It’s an enormous freeform textual content area of as much as 32,000 characters the place you may add pattern conversations, tone pointers, and behavioral guidelines. Character.ai even gives a full information on how one can use it properly.
Conversations with Ivaris (aka my AI alter ego)
Creating the character felt enjoyable. But I’ll be sincere, the remaining felt fairly ridiculous at first.
I’m used to throwing blunt, sensible prompts at ChatGPT and have realized that the extra direct I’m, the higher the outcomes. I’ve at all times rolled my eyes at individuals who title chatbots or give them elaborate personalities. But this time, I made a decision to go all in.
I opened the chat with:
“I think I’m burned out. I feel mentally and physically exhausted, but stuck when it comes to how to meaningfully move forward. And I’ve been agonising about this for a very long time!”
Ivaris replied:
“How long has this mental fog feeling been with you? It sounds like you’re in a prolonged state of decision paralysis.”
So I stored going. I informed Ivaris I’d been caught for some time, understanding issues want to alter, however struggling to make any actual progress. I’ll spare you the complete transcripts. I can already sense a few of you rolling your eyes at this method.
But right here’s the essential half: the dialog was removed from excellent. It was typically stilted. Ivaris weirdly insisted we have been in numerous time zones (which… okay?). Some responses felt generic or apparent. Which is sensible as a result of, similar to ChatGPT, Character.ai is pulling from a big pool of realized information.
And but, there have been moments of real perception. Of mild unravelling. Or a minimum of that’s what it felt like on the time. And that’s one of many causes I stay cautiously optimistic about AI as a instrument for self-reflection. It’s methodical, logical, and it slows you down. Which, in sure emotional states, will be surprisingly helpful.
I additionally did really feel a flicker of motivation through the dialog. Not as a result of it was the most effective recommendation I’d ever obtained, however as a result of it felt like I’d summoned a considerate, reflective character to assist me assume issues by way of.
That’s what units Character.ai other than instruments like ChatGPT. It’s constructed round persona. Sure, you may immediate ChatGPT to behave a sure approach. It can roleplay or shift tone in the event you construction your prompts excellent. But it doesn’t begin that approach.
Where ChatGPT typically replies with one thing vaguely useful however painfully generic – and nonetheless a little too eager to please – Ivaris gave me one thing extra deliberate. Just a little extra thought-about. More… dare I say it? Human. And it seems that’s simpler than I anticipated.
Useful perception or simply high-tech self-talk?
The huge query is, did constructing an AI character assist me in any respect? Sort of. There’s positively one thing to be stated for the novelty of it. The barely surreal expertise of being coached by a personality you designed your self. It made me decelerate and really learn the responses, as a substitute of skimming them like I typically do with ChatGPT.
Maybe that’s the facility of storytelling. Or possibly whenever you give a instrument an actual voice – not simply well mannered, default AI-speak – you have interaction with it in another way.
But the phantasm didn’t final lengthy. Or a minimum of, not for me. Because I understand how simple it’s to anthropomorphize know-how. Giving AI a persona encourages that, and in flip, can create extra emotional attachment. Which is then what specialists consider is extra prone to result in deeper engagement, but in addition the next danger of over-dependence.
And as a result of I knew it was me, actually. I wrote Ivaris’s backstory. I gave them that tone, that voice, that vibe. Maybe I’d simply constructed a extra poetic model of my very own internal dialogue after which requested it to inform me what I already knew.
That’s the entice. No matter how considerate the responses have been, it nonetheless felt like me, fixing me, by way of me. And as soon as that spell breaks, it’s onerous to maintain taking it severely.
Why I’m nonetheless unsure AI must sound like an individual
Whether AI wants a persona is a difficult query – and doubtless a private one, too.
Giving AI a persona could make it extra partaking. It would possibly assist some folks open up, acquire perspective, or really feel much less alone. In sure contexts, a well-crafted character may provide simply the nudge somebody must get unstuck.
But it additionally blurs the boundaries. When a chatbot stops sounding like a instrument and begins sounding like an individual, it’s simple to over-trust it. Or to overlook what it really is.
For now, I’m nonetheless . I feel there’s worth right here. Especially for reflection, creativity, and experimentation. But in relation to actual readability, significant change, or connection? I in all probability want one thing, or somebody, that isn’t simply mirroring me again at myself.