Persona in Conversational AI

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Jason Gilbert from Intuition Robotics discusses designing ElliQ, an AI companion for elderly users. He explores persona design, building trust in healthcare AI, multimodal experiences, and ethical considerations in conversational AI design.

In this episode of Unprompted, we sit down with Jason Gilbert, Lead Character Designer at Intuition Robotics, to explore what it really takes to design a compassionate, human-like AI. As the creative mind behind ElliQ, the robot companion supporting older adults, Jason shares how thoughtful persona design becomes a powerful tool for fostering trust, empathy, and long-term connection in AI experiences.

We dive deep into the unique challenges of designing for elderly companionship, building trust while addressing privacy concerns, and navigating the complex ethical landscape of healthcare AI. Jason explains how he draws on psychological insights, multimodal interaction design, and years of storytelling expertise to create emotionally intelligent systems that users can genuinely relate to and rely on.

This episode covers:

The power of empathy in conversational AI
Designing effective multimodal experiences
Collaborating across disciplines to bring personas to life
Proving the value of conversation design in real-world contexts
Responsible use of generative AI
Evolving beliefs about what conversational AI can and should do
The ideal skill set for today's conversation designers

Whether you're building AI for companionship, utility, or care, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at how persona is more than just a character. It's the foundation of meaningful interaction between humans and machines.

Jason Gilbert is the Lead Character Designer at Intuition Robotics, shaping the personality of ElliQ, a robot companion for older adults. His work involves making ElliQ more human and empathetic. Jason's background is in storytelling—he's a Temple University film school grad who directed award-winning films. A happy accident led him to conversational AI, where he worked on chatbot projects for Doc Brown, Miss Piggy, Judy Hopps, and even Albert Einstein (winning a Webby!). He also collaborated on AnnA, a virtual influencer. Jason's passionate about the intersection of storytelling, technology, and human connection.