Can AI Have a Personality? Prompt Engineering for AI Personality Simulation: A Chatbot Case Study in Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy Training

Abstract

This thesis investigates whether large language models (LLMs) can be guided to simulate a consistent personality through prompt engineering. The study explores this concept within the context of a chatbot designed for Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) student training, specifically focused on gender-affirming voice therapy. The chatbot, named Monae Jackson, was created to represent a 32-year-old transgender woman and engage in conversations simulating client-therapist interactions. Findings suggest that with prompt engineering, the chatbot maintained a recognizable and consistent persona and had a distinct personality based on the Big Five Personality test. These results support the idea that prompt engineering can be used to simulate stable personality characteristics in AI chatbots.