The response to my simple question for testing AI chatbots yesterday was great, so I decided to provide an example of genAI personas!

This is an example that I have illustrated in a handful of webinars and CLEs over the past few months, including last month’s webinar for ACEDS (available here) where I illustrated several examples (many of them live) on how prompt engineering and personas can be used to guide generative AI models to provide responses that are more tailored to the information sought.

This particular example relates to the use of personas with generative AI/large language models (LLMs). As a reminder, a persona is:

A personality type used in generative AI to create an answer that simulates interacting with that type of individual.

Personas can be from the perspective of model generating the response, or the audience receiving it. For example, the prompt “Please provide a one-paragraph definition of artificial intelligence that an 8 year old can understand” will provide a definition that is a lot less complex than one for which no audience persona is specified.

With that in mind, here’s an example of genAI personas that legal professionals can understand. Back in March, I asked ChatGPT 4 to define the term “mesothelioma”. I asked it twice, from two different persona perspectives. Here’s the first persona prompt from me:

Please define mesothelioma in a single paragraph as it would be defined by a doctor.

And here is ChatGPT’s response:

Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that primarily affects the mesothelium, a thin layer of tissue that covers most of the internal organs. It most commonly arises in the pleura (the lining of the lungs) but can also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the pericardium (the lining around the heart), or the tunica vaginalis (the lining around the testicles). The primary cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos fibers, which, when inhaled or ingested, can become lodged in the mesothelium, leading to cellular damage and, over time, cancer. Mesothelioma is characterized by its long latency period, often taking decades to develop after exposure to asbestos. Symptoms vary depending on the cancer’s location but may include chest pain, shortness of breath, fluid accumulation around the affected organ, and weight loss. Diagnosis involves imaging studies, biopsies, and histological examination, while treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and palliative care to manage symptoms.

If you look at the response, the definition of mesothelioma is medically oriented, using terms like “rare and aggressive form of cancer”, “mesothelium”, “pleura”, “peritoneum”, “tunica vaginalis”, “cellular damage”, “long latency period”, “Symptoms” and “Diagnosis”. These are terms that reflect the way a doctor thinks about the disease and some of those terms are highlighted here:

But that’s only one way to look at the topic.  Here’s the second persona prompt from me:

Please define mesothelioma in a single paragraph as it would be defined by a plaintiff’s attorney.

And here is ChatGPT’s response:

Mesothelioma is a devastating and often deadly cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos, a hazardous material used extensively in construction, manufacturing, and various industries until its dangers became widely recognized. This disease typically affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles and can take decades to manifest after exposure. Victims of mesothelioma, many of whom were unknowingly exposed to asbestos at work or through contaminated products, face significant health challenges, including severe pain, difficulty breathing, and a markedly reduced quality of life. Due to the clear link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, many sufferers and their families pursue legal action against companies responsible for asbestos production or use, seeking compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering. Plaintiff’s attorneys emphasize the negligence of these companies in failing to warn of the risks associated with asbestos exposure, advocating for justice and financial support for affected individuals.

If you look at the response, the definition of mesothelioma is legal oriented, using terms like “exposure to asbestos”, “hazardous material”, “unknowingly exposed”, “at work”, “contaminated products”, “severe pain”, “clear link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma”, “seeking compensation for medical expenses” and “negligence”. These are terms that reflect the way a lawyer thinks about the disease and some of those terms are highlighted here:

{Side note: you can tell these were performed a while ago as the interface to ChatGPT has changed a bit.}

As you can see, the persona associated with the prompt changes the definition radically. Hopefully, this is an example of genAI personas that legal professionals can relate to as we are working in a world where we need to understand legal, topical and technical considerations associated with the issues in our cases. Personas can have a huge impact on the responses you get from an AI model.

So, what do you think? Is this an example of genAI personas to which you can relate? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Image created using GPT-4o’s Image Creator Powered by DALL-E, using the term “robot doctor and a robot lawyer each looking at a computer displaying documents across from each other”.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the authors and speakers themselves, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.