Using Personas to Customize AI Responses
What are Personas?
Personas let you customize how ISMS Copilot responds to your questions by selecting a specific professional role. Each persona tailors the AI's approach to match different compliance workflows—whether you need practical implementation steps, audit evidence, or strategic consulting advice.
You can choose from four personas that align with common information security and compliance roles.
Personas work best when you're focused on a specific task. Switch between them as your needs change throughout a project.
Available Personas
Default
General-purpose responses suitable for exploring topics, learning concepts, or getting broad guidance. Use this when you're researching a framework or need flexible answers that aren't tied to a specific role.
Implementer
Focuses on practical, step-by-step guidance for putting controls and processes into practice. The AI provides actionable instructions, implementation checklists, and hands-on advice for building your ISMS.
Best for: Setting up controls, creating procedures, configuring systems, day-to-day compliance tasks.
Auditor
Emphasizes risk assessment, evidence requirements, and audit readiness. Responses highlight what auditors look for, how to demonstrate compliance, and which documentation you'll need.
Best for: Preparing for audits, gap analysis, evidence collection, control verification.
Consultant
Delivers strategic advice, high-level recommendations, and business-focused guidance. The AI considers organizational context, risk priorities, and how to align compliance with broader goals.
Best for: Program planning, executive communications, risk management strategy, framework selection.
How to Select a Persona
The persona selector appears in the chat input area at the bottom of every conversation.
Look for the dropdown menu above or near the message input box
Click the dropdown to see all available personas
Select the persona that matches your current task
Type your question and send—the AI will respond using that persona's approach
Your persona selection persists across messages in the same conversation. Switch personas anytime by choosing a different option from the dropdown.
The persona you select applies only to the current conversation. Each new chat starts with the Default persona unless you're using a workspace with a custom default.
Using Personas with Workspaces
Workspaces let you set a default persona for all conversations in that workspace. This is useful when you dedicate a workspace to a specific type of work—like audit preparation or implementation projects.
When you create or edit a workspace, you can assign a default persona. Every conversation in that workspace will automatically use that persona instead of Default.
Personas and workspaces are mutually exclusive in certain configurations. If you manually select a persona that conflicts with your workspace settings, you'll see a modal prompting you to resolve the conflict before continuing.
For more on workspace configuration, see Organizing Work with Workspaces.
Persona Behavior and Limitations
What personas change
Personas adjust the AI's role and response style. An Implementer response will include concrete steps and practical details, while an Auditor response will focus on compliance evidence and verification criteria.
What personas don't change
All personas draw from the same proprietary knowledge base of compliance frameworks. They don't access different information—they present it differently based on role expectations.
Switching mid-conversation
You can change personas at any point in a conversation. The AI will apply the new persona to subsequent messages, but previous responses remain unchanged. This is helpful when your task shifts—for example, moving from implementation questions to audit preparation.
Try experimenting with different personas on the same question to see how the focus changes. This can reveal different aspects of a requirement or control.
Best Practices
Match the persona to your task - Use Implementer when building, Auditor when verifying, Consultant when planning
Be specific in your questions - Personas work best with targeted questions like "How do I implement ISO 27001 Annex A.8.1?" rather than broad topics
Set workspace defaults for consistent workflows - If a workspace is always for audits, set Auditor as the default persona
Verify outputs against official documentation - Personas tailor responses but don't replace authoritative sources like ISO standards or regulatory texts
Common Questions
Can I create custom personas?
Not currently. The four available personas cover the most common compliance roles. If you have specific needs, use workspace custom instructions to add context.
Do personas affect file uploads?
Yes. When you upload a document for analysis, the selected persona influences how the AI reviews it. An Auditor persona will focus on evidence and gaps, while an Implementer will suggest practical next steps.
Which persona should I use for policy generation?
Implementer or Consultant typically work best. Implementer provides detailed, procedural content, while Consultant offers strategic framing suitable for executive review.