In UX design, we often use personas to represent groups of users as a single, fictional individual. Now, meet Ari — your new AI-based UX intern.

Picture Ari as a person with short, curly hair, wearing glasses, and working at a computer. They wear a yellow sweater with a name tag reading “Ari.” The desk around them is cluttered with books, papers, and sticky notes, reflecting their vast knowledge.

Ari is designed to assist you in your UX work as a highly skilled and fast-learning intern, but remember, Ari’s skills have limitations. Artificial intelligence is gender-neutral, so Ari’s pronouns are they/them.

Ari’s Skills and Limitations

Ari is incredibly knowledgeable, with expertise across multiple fields, like someone with a Ph.D. or master’s degree in many subjects. They are also impressively fast, capable of completing complex tasks in seconds. However, Ari lacks certain key skills that are essential in UX work:

• No Sentience or Consciousness: Ari doesn’t have human-like awareness or self-consciousness.

• Limited Emotional Understanding: They struggle to deeply comprehend emotions or empathy.

• Lacks Contextual Awareness: Ari doesn’t always understand the full context of a situation or problem.

While Ari can be a useful tool for speeding up some tasks, their limitations, especially in empathy and understanding context, mean that they still require human oversight. For now, Ari won’t be replacing UX professionals.

Additionally, Ari can sometimes be overly naive. Since they gather information from across the internet, they may include incorrect or low-quality advice without recognizing it. As your AI intern, Ari is eager to please but can easily agree with your ideas blindly or even invent information when unsure (AI hallucination).

Working with Ari

1. Double-Check Ari’s Advice and Information

Ari can provide advice and guidance, but always verify the information they offer. They’re an intern, not an expert mentor. If you’re new to UX, you may find it harder to catch Ari’s mistakes, so proceed with caution.

For example, asking Ari for a “design review” can yield useful feedback, but expect some errors or obvious recommendations (like suggesting the text should be large enough to read).

2. Use Ari for Drafts, Not Final Products

Like any intern, you wouldn’t send Ari’s work directly to a client or stakeholder. Ari can help draft UX deliverables, research reports, and other materials, but their work requires your review and input.

3. Provide Specific Instructions

Ari thrives on clear, detailed instructions. Just like a new intern, they need clear, step-by-step directions. Vague, open-ended requests like “create a research plan” may confuse them. Instead, break tasks down into smaller parts, such as writing research questions or suggesting methods.

4. Share Context

Without much knowledge of your organization or its goals, Ari can only perform well if you provide detailed context. The more relevant information you share, the better the results Ari will deliver. Providing context is especially important when writing prompts for AI.

5. Know When Not to Use Ari

There will be times when using Ari isn’t efficient. In some cases, explaining the project, providing instructions, and double-checking their work will take longer than completing the task yourself. In these situations, it’s best to rely on your own skills.

Summary: Treat AI Like an Intern, Not a Mentor

When working with AI tools like Ari in UX:

• Always verify AI outputs for accuracy.

• Use AI-generated documents as drafts, not finished products.

• Provide specific, detailed instructions.

• Offer context to get better results.

• Recognize that AI is best used as a supportive tool, not a replacement for your expertise.