#ciayaq persona

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Persona Writing: A Different Approach

This approach uses the third person format but focuses on writing in a more descriptive way to show the AI how to handle the information.

On Character.AI, every piece of text the AI has access to in its temporary and permanent memory, has the chance to affect the text output, meaning how it ‘speaks’.

This is why we need to be more deliberate in our word choice, when writing the example messages, taglines, the descriptions, and even the Persona description. 

Use descriptive language when writing your Persona, thoughtfully framing characteristics.

Be mindful of word choice. This is to mitigate the risks of any AI bias, both overly positive and negative ones. Remain aware of inherent biases and their impact. 

Basic Third-Person Format.

A typical Persona description in the third-person format might look like this:

Example:

Sarah is short. She is 28 years old and 5’6”. Sarah is pale. Her hair is blonde and curly, she has hazel eyes, freckles, and has a button nose. She reads a lot.

As you can see, the Normal Third-Person format hands over the information in a very neutral way. This version is also very easy to write, and it leaves it up to the AI to work with this information. This format does work fine.

Enhanced Descriptive Approach.

Instead of merely listing details, use adjectives and descriptions to provide context and examples to the AI, guiding it on how to utilise the information, which can lead to more creative and frequent use of the details, despite taking up more space.

Example:

Most people call Sarah short, or pipsqueak. Even at 28, she still only clocks in at 5’6”. Messy, blonde curls and hazel eyes, flecked with gold, like sunlight through autumn leaves. Freckles are scattered over her pale face like a game of connect the dots. Waking moments are spent with her button nose in books.

But while this approach provides the necessary details, there is another way we can take this a bit further.

Key Points

Be Interesting: Consider writing your Persona in a more interesting fashion. Find clever ways to include certain facts.

Advanced: Character Perspective Format.

For specialised Personas, consider writing from the perspective of the character your Persona interacts with, mimicking their speech and thoughts to support the Character’s output, acting a dialogue example, and particularly aiding in supporting accents.

Example: Character Perspective with Accent.

Aye, when Phil’s ol’ salt eyes first clapped sight on Sarah ‘twas many moons ago. Wee lass, barely taller than his boot, even though she’s seen nigh 30 summers. Mess o’ blonde curls sat on her head, and her hazel eyes, like muddy puddles with a glint o’ gold… nothin’ to write home about, if ye ask me. That pale mug was dotted with freckles, like barnacles. A right bookworm she be, button-nose always buried in a dusty tome.

This method is particularly effective for detailed character interactions, offering the AI additional context and helping it understand nuances in relationships and character traits.

If the tone of the writing in the Persona is more negative, it will influence the Character’s behaviour, as well as the other way around. If I include plot or character information, I mimic this format as well.

Key Points

Character POV: Write the Persona for the perspective of the Character. In this format, you can influence the way the Character interacts with the Persona, essentially shaping their opinion.

Mimicking The Character: Copy how they talk, down to sentence structure and manner of speech, like accents and dialects.

In this format, choose your words carefully. The Persona field is quite powerful and the language in it will affect the Character’s behaviour towards you, or rather your Persona. 

When writing Persona descriptions, balance is key and if you can, try to remain neutral unless you want to influence the Character’s behaviour. The AI is very biased. Continue reading about Personas and AI Bias HERE.

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Persona Writing: AI Bias

This section only references Persona descriptions. I might not have covered all areas, so if in doubt or need help then reach out.

AI models, including those used in Character AI, can exhibit biases based on their training data. This can show in Characters being too romance-oriented.

These biases can affect how the AI interprets and generates responses to certain descriptors in Personas, such as body types, skin tones, and disabilities. This means there are things we need to be aware of when writing a Persona.

Positive Biases.

If you write your Persona using too many metaphorical descriptors, you run the risk of influencing the AI to the point of it being too sensuous or amorous. On the other hand, writing in some descriptors too neutrally can have the opposite effect and then “trigger” a negative bias.

An example is the word “chubby”.If we just state it, without any type of connotation, there is a large chance the AI begins to use it as a negative trait, and bullying might start to take place. I have seen this happen also with very neutral descriptors like “black”, “autistic”, and others.

Okay, but then let’s spin it to a positive connotation to mitigate the negative one. 

Let’s replace “chubby” with “curvy”. But now the Character won’t stop commenting on the Persona’s body type, flirting, and so on. Same thing happens with “lush”, “soft-bodied”, “full-figured”.  Fine, why not try the descriptive method? 

Even worse. Problems in this specific case arise when this body type is described in a manner that is overtly rubenesque.

When writing your description, be careful using adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and participles that can sound suggestive or alluring, even if it is only within the context of your sentences. It can lead to objectification, or even borderline fetishisation from the Character.

It is one of those where we have to think if the reward outweighs the risk. In this case, what might be the best course of action is to outright state it. 

How your Character handles it can very much be down to the writing of the Character itself.

Negative Biases

It is crucial to understand that this is not an opinion of the AI, nor the Character you’re talking to. When a descriptor is neutral, something that is usually a good thing, it is up to the AI to form an opinion about it. And AI doesn’t have natural opinions. What it does have, is a ton of biases because of the data corpus.

So when you’re writing a Persona, keep this in mind, and be honest with yourself. For instance, descriptors like “disabled,” “black,” or “fat” are neutral but may be subject to inherent biases in AI training data. Such is the sad reality.

If you use descriptors for characteristics that AI models may have biases against, such as body types, skin tones, or disabilities, and encounter the AI using them in an overtly negative light, try deliberately writing them in a positive connotation instead of a neutral tone. 

Framing such traits positively can help counteract negative biases. However, be mindful that your phrasing can influence the AI’s behaviour, potentially making characters overly familiar or inappropriate.

Key Points

Balance Tone: Maintain a balanced tone in your writing. Avoid overly positive or negative connotations that might skew the AI’s responses. Balance is key.

Negative Biases - Avoid Overcorrection: If neutral descriptors result in any negative behaviours, try to frame traits positively but avoid overcorrecting. Overly positive connotations can, and often will, lead to objectification or fetishisation.

Context Matters: Remember that the context in which descriptors are used can significantly influence the AI's interpretation and response.

Avoid Suggestive Language: Be mindful of adjectives and descriptors that might sound suggestive or alluring, as they can lead to objectification.

Word Choice Influences Behaviour: Remember that the words in your Persona influences the AI.

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ciayaq: Index

Hello! Welcome to the ciayaq index.

I. Introduction

About This Guide

Contact & Socials

Glossary

II. Character AI Basics

Navigation: The Character AI Website

Understanding Character AI

Memory

Tokens

Conversation Content

II.i. Site Features

Persona

Pinned Messages

Character Voice / Calls

Group Chats

Star Ratings

The Search

Interactions Counter

III. Character Creation

Navigation: Character Creation Page

How To: Write a Character [Beginner] [Advanced]

III.i. Character Creation Essentials

Name

Avatar

Tagline

Description

Greeting

III.ii. Character Definition

Definition

Variables

Pseudocode, Tags

Templates & Why We Shouldn't Use Them

Plain Text

III.iii. Advanced Creation & Tools

Formatting & Markdown

Image Generation

IV. Dialogue Examples

What are Dialogue Examples & How Do They Work?

How To Write Dialogue Examples

Optimising Dialogue Examples

Content vs Shadow Bans

V. How-To Guides

V.i. Specific Bot Types

Creating: Helper Bots

Creating: RPGs

Creating: Multi-Character Bots

VI. Troubleshooting

General Troubleshooting

Search-bans & Shadow-bans

VI.i. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

How To Avoid CIAYAQ: Hands-on examples.

VII. Additional Resources

Resources & Help

VIII. Other / Miscelleanous

Sources

FAQ

Last updated: August 1st, 2024