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AI Conversations

Create standalone AI role-plays, guided discussions, and knowledge checks with voice or text, grading, templates, and self-serve learner usage.

Written by Patrick Elzinga

AI Conversations give learners a realistic place to practice communication with an AI character or facilitator. Learners can speak or type, receive natural responses in real time, and get feedback tied to the goals you define.

You can build a standalone Conversation from the dashboard or add a Conversation tile inside a standard lesson. Standalone Conversations focus the entire learner experience on one role-play, guided discussion, or knowledge check.

Create a standalone Conversation

  1. From the dashboard, select Create, then choose Conversation.

  2. Describe the scenario, learner, audience, and what success should look like. You can also add Conversation skills such as Sales Roleplay or Objection Handling.

  3. Select Let's go. The Mindsmith Agent may ask focused follow-up questions before it builds the Conversation and opens the Conversation editor.

A standalone Conversation contains one Conversation experience rather than lesson pages or other tile types. Use a standard lesson with a Conversation tile when you want to combine practice with instruction, media, or assessments.

Start from a template

The Create page also includes Conversation templates. Select Duplicate for an editable copy, or Reference to use a template as inspiration for a new Conversation.

Choose a Conversation mode

  • Role Play: The learner drives the conversation while the AI stays in character and responds naturally. Use this for sales, customer service, interviews, coaching, and difficult conversations.

  • Discussion: The AI leads as a facilitator, asks questions, introduces new angles, and guides the learner through a topic.

  • Knowledge Check: The AI tests understanding with questions and follow-ups. It assesses the learner without teaching or giving away the answers.

Configure the Conversation

The Conversation editor is organized into Character & Scenario, Agenda, Grading, and Settings. A live preview appears beside the configuration panel.

Character & Scenario

  • Voice: Choose an AI voice and preview it.

  • Character: Add or remove a character image, then optionally set a display name and subtitle.

  • Scenario: Define the situation, topic, or subject area. Role Plays also include the AI character's personality and behavior.

  • Introduction: Add learner-facing context that appears before the Conversation starts.

Agenda

The Agenda breaks the Conversation into numbered stages. Each stage can include:

  • Details: Optional guidance shown to the learner.

  • AI instructions: Private direction for how the AI should handle that stage.

  • Grading criteria: Specific evidence the evaluator should look for.

Role Plays can also include broader Skills to Demonstrate, such as asking clarifying questions or maintaining a calm tone.

Grading

Choose whether learners receive feedback only or must reach a passing percentage. You can also limit evaluated attempts, lock the Conversation after a learner passes, and control whether learners see the score, overall feedback, and feedback for each agenda item.

Settings

  • AI Rules: Add guardrails for what the AI should or should not do.

  • Input Mode: Choose Voice & Text, Voice Only, or Text Only. Voice & Text is the default.

  • Learner speaks first: Make the AI wait for the learner before responding.

  • Intro sound: Optionally use a ringback sound for voice Conversations.

  • Example Conversations: Show the AI the tone and flow you want.

  • Custom System Prompt: Add advanced instructions when the structured settings are not enough.

Access and billing

Building, editing, and testing Conversations in the editor is free. A learner Conversation uses one session when it lasts more than 30 seconds. Learner usage is separate from Mindsmith AI credits and includes Conversations launched from an LMS.

  • Free workspaces: Authors can build and test Conversations, but the workspace must upgrade before learners can use them.

  • Professional and Business workspaces: A workspace admin can claim 100 learner Conversations one time. When claiming the offer, choose pay as you go at $2 per Conversation after the free 100, billed weekly, or prepay at $2 per Conversation with a five-Conversation minimum.

  • Enterprise workspaces: Conversation usage is managed through your Mindsmith agreement.

Admins can claim the offer and manage usage from Settings → Billing. See Billing & Credits for more information.

The learner experience

  1. Start: The learner reviews the introduction, character, agenda, and goals, then selects Start. The AI speaks first unless Learner speaks first is enabled.

  2. Interact: The learner speaks, types, or switches between voice and text when both are enabled. If microphone setup fails, the learner can continue in text mode.

  3. Review the transcript: A live transcript records both sides of the Conversation and can be expanded and copied.

  4. Finish or continue: The learner selects End chat when finished. If a Conversation was paused before evaluation, the learner can continue from saved progress.

Feedback and evaluation

After the Conversation ends, Mindsmith evaluates the transcript against the Agenda, grading criteria, and any Skills to Demonstrate. Each item is rated Well done, Needs improvement, or Not observed, with specific feedback.

For feedback-only Conversations, evaluation completes the activity without a required score. If you set a passing requirement, Mindsmith calculates a percentage and shows a pass result when score visibility is enabled.

Learners can select Start Over to practice again unless an attempt limit or lock-after-passing rule prevents another attempt.

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