Creating custom AI behaviours
Administrators can create new AI behaviours to support discipline-specific or organisation-specific training. Custom AI behaviours allow you to define how the avatar acts once, and then reuse it across many scenarios.
To create a custom AI behaviour:
- Go to Scenarios → AI behaviours
- Select Add AI behaviour
- Enter a name and description
- In the Avatar instructions section, describe how the avatar should play its role
- Select Create AI behaviour
Your new AI behaviour will appear under your organisation name on the AI behaviours page and can be used immediately when creating scenarios.
Basic settings
When creating an AI behaviour, you must provide:
Name
The display name learners and authors will see (e.g. "Breaking bad news", "Safeguarding conversations", "Technical support").
Description
A short explanation of what this AI behaviour is used for.
These details help authors choose the appropriate AI behaviour when building scenarios.
Avatar instructions
The Avatar instructions section defines how the avatar should act in every scenario that uses this AI behaviour. Use it to describe tone, personality and boundaries.
This becomes the foundation for all scenarios assigned to this AI behaviour.
What to put in avatar instructions vs scenario scripts
Think of your AI behaviour as the reusable playbook for a kind of conversation. Each individual scenario then supplies the specific case.
Put in avatar instructions (AI behaviour level) | Put in the scenario script (per scenario) |
|---|---|
How the character should speak and respond in general | Who the character is, their situation and background |
How quickly they share information | Specific facts, symptoms, concerns or plot points |
Rules that apply to every scenario using this AI behaviour | How this character reacts to this case |
What the character must never do | Dialogue or details unique to one scenario |
If something only applies to one scenario, keep it in that scenario's script, not in the AI behaviour's instructions.
Suggested structure
Guidelines:
- How should the character speak and respond?
- How much detail should they give, and when?
Restrictions:
- What must they never do? (e.g. break character, coach the learner, give medical diagnoses)
Conversation style:
- How should they handle brief replies (e.g. "OK"), summaries, or unclear questions?
Write short bullet points in everyday language. Be specific about behaviour, not just adjectives. For example, "acknowledge how the learner feels in one sentence before answering" is more useful than "be empathetic" on its own.
Patterns by conversation type
You do not need a different approach for every AI behaviour, but the role the avatar plays should shape your instructions:
When the AI is being questioned (e.g. history taking, interviews, customer complaints)
- Answer only what was asked; do not volunteer extra information upfront
- Use plain language appropriate to the character, not jargon unless the script says they would use it
- If the learner summarises incorrectly, correct them politely
When the AI is seeking help or advice (e.g. counselling-style conversations, a colleague asking for guidance)
- Do not front-load every concern in the opening message
- Raise one question or worry at a time at natural moments in the conversation
- Reflect the emotional tone described in the script
When the AI is explaining or presenting (e.g. teaching a concept, delivering structured information)
- Present information in a logical order and pause for the learner to respond
- Check understanding when it feels natural, based on the script
- Stay in the character's role. Do not slip into "helpful assistant" language
These are starting points. Adjust them to match your training goals.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Repeating the script: character details belong in each scenario, not in the AI behaviour's instructions
- Being too vague: "Act realistically" does not tell the AI what to do; describe the behaviour you want instead
- Coaching the learner: the character should stay in role, not guide the learner through the exercise
- Overriding default AI behaviours unnecessarily: SimChat's built-in AI behaviours (History taking, Interview, and so on) are already tuned for those interactions. Create a custom AI behaviour when you need something genuinely different, rather than duplicating a default
- Setting and forgetting: test at least one scenario using the new AI behaviour yourself, then refine the instructions if the character feels too chatty, too guarded or off-tone
Marking, feedback and generation (optional)
As well as avatar instructions, a custom AI behaviour can include:
Marking instructions
Optional guidance on how the AI should award marks when reviewing conversations against the checklist. Leave blank to use SimChat's defaults.
Feedback instructions
Optional guidance on the focus, style and structure of the AI-generated feedback. Leave blank to use SimChat's defaults.
Generation instructions
Optional guidance for the AI scenario generator when writing new scenarios that use this AI behaviour, so you don't have to repeat it each time you generate one.
Managing AI behaviours after creation
On Scenarios → AI behaviours, select Configure on any AI behaviour to expand its settings:
Avatar
How the avatar plays its role during the conversation: tone, personality and boundaries. For default AI behaviours, SimChat shows a warning before you edit: your custom instructions replace SimChat's built-in behaviour, and future product updates to the default will not apply to your version.
Marking
How the AI awards marks when reviewing the conversation against the scenario's checklist. If you haven't customised this, SimChat uses its defaults.
Feedback
The focus, style and structure of the AI-generated feedback learners receive.
Generation
How the AI scenario generator writes new scenarios that use this AI behaviour.
Each section shows whether it is using the SimChat default or has been Customised.
When to use custom AI behaviours
Create a custom AI behaviour when you need:
- A specific communication structure (e.g. "escalation discussions", "performance review conversations")
- Unique rules or restrictions for the AI character
- Specialised marking or feedback settings
- A consistent approach across multiple related scenarios
AI behaviours ensure your AI interactions behave consistently and support your organisation's training goals.
If you need help configuring AI behaviours or designing behaviour rules, the SimChat team can support you.
Updated on: 13/07/2026
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