AI Personas and Dolls (stephen.bochinski.dev)

A recent commentary critiques the increasing reliance on AI personas within teams, suggesting that they do not enhance the capabilities of generative models but rather serve as a facade for structured conversations. The author argues that while presenting models as various roles—like Product Manager or Software Engineer—may create the illusion of collaboration, it fails to yield better decision-making or output quality. Instead, this approach often results in superficial narrative changes without providing new insights or meaningful analysis, similar to children playing pretend with dolls. The article emphasizes that for the AI/ML community to achieve substantial improvements, they should focus on effective context management and breaking tasks into smaller, actionable steps rather than adopting a role-play mentality. By specifying constraints and formats that truly affect the model's behavior, teams can reduce errors and enhance outcomes. Ultimately, the piece advocates for a more honest engagement with AI—treating personas as mere prompt styles rather than as substitute team members—to achieve real productivity rather than just narrative coherence.