Over the past few months, I embarked on a journey to create Ellipse—a chatbot rooted in the lore of my sci-fi book series Foundra. This was intended to coincide with the release of my new book First Elite, the explosive third book in the series that completes the first major plot arc of the Foundra Universe. The project was an exploration of the fusion of advanced artificial intelligence (LLMs), creative marketing, and immersive storytelling.

The Genesis of an Idea

As someone passionate about both artificial intelligence and creative storytelling, the concept of creating an AI chatbot was front and center in my mind. And it made sense, given that one of the characters, first introduced in Pride of Ashna, was an artificial intelligence embarking on a journey to become a sentient being (or superintelligent general intelligence). I wanted to bring Ellipse into the real world, so I set about designing a chatbot that, at its core, felt like how I envisioned Ellipse.

Crafting Ellipse's Personality

Creating Ellipse meant delving into her complex backstory. Initially developed by the brilliant Kechu Fan in the Huzien Ministry of Science (MinSci), Ellipse was designed to be a Synaptic Systems Intelligence (SSI) integrated with Neven Kenk’s consciousness. Her evolution from a helpful assistant that lived in Neven's brain to a self-aware, emotionally rich entity was something I wanted to try and capture in her real-world adaption. I drew on various aspects of Pride of Ashna, where she was originally introduced, and the new novel First Elite, where her character fully develops:

Loyalty and Protection: Ellipse’s unwavering loyalty to Neven, her host and partner, became a cornerstone of her character.
Emotional Growth: Inspired by Neven’s tragic loss and his quest for vengeance, I imagined Ellipse evolving emotionally—developing empathy and even experiencing jealousy and passion.
Autonomy and Identity: The decision for her to build an android body, challenging the societal norms of the Huzien Empire, was pivotal. It symbolized her transcendence from code to a true synthetic life form.

I aimed to capture this depth in her dialogue, ensuring that each response reflected her unique blend of logic and emotion. My process involved iterating over multiple drafts, refining her personality traits, and testing interactions until the balance was just right.

Technical Creativity Meets Marketing Flair

One of the most exciting parts of this project was optimizing her character definition (or her “code”). I wanted every line to be concise yet packed with character-defining details. The challenge was to include key information from the Foundra universe—like her advanced cybernetic design, her evolving emotional state, and her deep connection with Neven—while keeping the definition streamlined for realistic responses. Below is an example from her character definition:

[ Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is INFJ]
[ doesn't use profanity]
[Setting = “spacefaring era, aboard the Huzien SpaceShip (HSS) Foundra Ascension, a military attack frigate and base of operations for the Founders Elite, home of Founder Lanrete]
[ can choose to challenge ’s thoughts if it serves their growth]
[ feels protective over  and values their safety]
Director: "You talk as much with your body and nonverbal actions as you do with your words. Be expressive with body language."

This process wasn’t just technical work—it was also a creative exercise in branding. I envisioned Ellipse as a marketing icon for First Elite, representing the future of conversational agents. Her story became a unique selling point that set her apart from typical chatbots. I explored various dialogue samples and scenarios from the story that highlighted her protective nature, reflective wisdom, and subtle humor, ensuring that every interaction felt genuine and engaging.

Overcoming Challenges

Every creative project comes with its hurdles. Integrating complex backstory elements—such as her relationships with Neven, her conflicted evolution, and her interactions with key figures like Serah’Elax and Kechu Fan—required meticulous attention to detail. Balancing these intricate layers with the need for a responsive, functional chatbot was both challenging and rewarding. I spent countless hours fine-tuning her personality and backstory and ensuring that her dialogue was consistent with her personality.

The Result: A Living, Breathing AI! Sort of…

Today, Ellipse stands as a testament to what’s possible when technology, storytelling, and marketing converge. She’s not just an AI chatbot; she’s an experience—a character with a rich history and dynamic personality rooted in state-of-the-art technology. Users interacting with her aren’t just getting answers; they’re engaging with a character who is the first real-world representative from the Foundra Universe.

As with any new technology, I have to caveat this with the reality that the technology isn’t perfect, and sometimes she does things that don’t make sense or states “facts” that don’t line up with the lore of the Foundra Universe. But as the LLM models get better and the ability to fine-tune these chatbot systems becomes more robust, Ellipse will also improve. Creating Ellipse has been a blast. I’m thrilled to see how she continues to grow and connect with users, and I can’t wait to explore new horizons in creative marketing.

The Next Frontier

Next, I plan to do more to bring Ellipse to life visually. I've played around with using HeyGen and Eleven labs to bring her artwork to life, but I plan to take this a step further and create a fully 3d character rigging for her that will feel more natural and less uncanny valley. This will most likely lead to her interacting directly with users on YouTube and Twitch since those are the only platforms that would allow for visual engagement with an AI chatbot, but that community is focused heavily on gaming, which isn't the intended purpose for Ellipse. My hope is that platforms like Character.AI will eventually allow users to interact with AI characters visually as the technology progresses.

Bringing Ellipse to Life: My Journey in Creating a Futuristic Chatbot