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Premium Level: Companion AI
Premium Level: Companion AI

Premium Level: Companion AI

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Hello! In this premium level, you’ll learn how to create Companion AI flows.

  • Learn to create Companion AI flows that enhance immersive learning modules through open-ended conversations, role-play scenarios, and tailored guidance for various training needs, including sales, customer service, and change management.
  • Follow the tutorial and utilize our Companion ERD & Prompt Combo Guide (download below) to design effective adaptive learning role-plays based on your desired learning objectives.
  • Within this level: you’ll gain a solid understanding of how and why to create a Companion AI flow, the document necessary to design a successful experience, and the step-by-step tool tutorial to bring your experience to life.

On this page:

  • *New - Companion Prompting Best Practices (DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD)
  • Companion Prompt (DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD)
  • How to Utilize Companion AI Flows
  • Use Cases
  • Roles of Companion AI
  • How to Create a Companion AI Flow:

*New - Companion Prompting Best Practices (DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD)

Make sure to download and use our most up to date Prompting Best Practices to help you create an effective prompt for a Companion AI flow!

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Download a copy of our Companion Prompting Best Practices guide here:

Companion Prompting Best Practices  Jan 2026 1.docx23.2 KiB

Preview:

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Companion Prompt (DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD)

Start by defining the Experience Requirements for your Companion AI flow

Best - and very highly recommended - practice is to document and plan any immersive experience even before starting to create in the tool.

With Companion flows, it's also vital to craft an effective AI prompt.

Download a copy of our Companion ERD & Prompt Combo Guide.

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Download a copy of our Companion ERD & Prompt Combo Guide here:

Companion ERD & Prompt Combo Guide.docx24.7KB

Preview:

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How to Utilize Companion AI Flows

How do Companion flows fit within a larger Project?

Prescriptive conversations help learners build knowledge and skills, while Companion flows let them apply skills in complex, unpredictable scenarios.

Why choose branched narrative flows vs. Companion AI flows?

  • Branched / prescriptive conversations:
    • Allow an author control over skills assessed and feedback given
    • Include the option for results screens that are either pre-coded and generated by the tool, or customized by the creator
    • Provide results in Dashboard for admins to track and analyze
  • Adaptive / unscripted conversations:
    • Allow learners to experiment with various communication strategies and navigate challenging interpersonal situations while practicing in a risk-free environment
    • Helps users build soft skills like communication, empathy, and negotiation with AI-driven feedback on their choices
    • Conversations and feedback are not recorded, thus no data for admin assessment
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Consider:

  • How does a Companion AI flow fit into your overall learning module?
  • Are there other training materials needed to compliment your Companion AI flow so that it’s effective for your learner? (i.e. a sales script PDF to be utilized during the Companion AI role play)
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*Hide - video outline
  • Companion clip
  • Branched narrative clip
  • Companion ERD/Prompt Guide
    • Companion Prompt paste & settings
    • *VO mention benefit (super-quick to author, and for the learner it’s adaptive, unscripted conversation, bespoke role-play practice, giving the user a complete autonomy in the experience to speak their mind)
  • Branched narrative ERD
    • Branched Narrative writing, building and animation
    • *VO mention benefit (allows the author to prescribe learning content, skills and objectives - and gives the learner pre-defined options to guide them through the experience)
  • Use Cases / Roles - (SAME for branched?!)
  • Companion results screens
    • *VO mention benefit (Not saved, learner can practice/fail freely and get AI-generated feedback on the spot - altho no admin can view results)
  • Branched narrative results screens
    • *VO mention benefit (Author has control over skills assessed, feedback given - results screens can be pre-generated or customized, and an admin can view learner’s results)

Initially using prescriptive trainings can help build the learner’s confidence by ensuring they are well-prepared. Moving to freeform conversations challenges them to apply what they've learned in a less structured, more realistic setting, boosting their competency and self-efficacy.

Adaptive, conversational learning across modalities and products

  • Cornerstone AI enables real-time learning assistance tailored to individual learning journeys, ensuring relevant guidance and support in the flow of work.
  • Adaptive learning surfaces across modalities, delivering training experiences at the time of need and adapting content to every employee's specific learning goals.
  • Extensibility via Cornerstone Extend – Cornerstone AI tracks learning and knowledge acquisition across 3rd party platforms, giving people pervasive skills profiles that track prescribed and self-directed learning inside and outside of Cornerstone's platform.

Example in Cornerstone: Immerse experiences deliver conversational learning simulations based on each employees skills needs.

Autonomous Learning & Admin Agents

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  • Autonomous AI agents handle upskilling, reskilling, and administrative tasks, offering personalized support without the need for consistent human intervention.
  • Automated onboarding and training management: AI agents handle onboarding logistics, from assigning required training to tracking completion, allowing HR and L&D teams to focus on strategic activities.
  • Personalized learning path automation: Curates and assigns learning paths based on individual skill needs and career goals, reducing the manual effort required to tailor training for each employee.
  • Continuous monitoring and support: Provides ongoing, automated support and feedback for employees, keeping them on track and minimizing the need for manual oversight from coaches and admins.

Example in Cornerstone: Learning Experince Workfroce Agility agent updates learner recommendations autonomously every week based on progress and reports back to admin.

AI-powered skills analytics and talent intelligence

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  • Comprehensive Workforce Skill Insights: Offers real-time analytics on workforce skills, enabling HR and L&D teams to make informed decisions on training, hiring, and mobility.
  • Predictive Talent Gaps Analysis: Identifies future skill gaps, allowing teams to proactively address talent needs aligned with organizational goals.
  • Impact Measurement and ROI Tracking: Tracks the effectiveness of learning and development initiatives, enabling HR and L&D teams to demonstrate ROI and continuously optimize programs based on data.

Example in Cornerstone: Talent Intelligence surfaces skills recommendations based on internal mobility goals and external labor market skills trends.

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How can a Companion AI flow compliment an Immersive Learning module?

  • Use scripted learning for structured, foundational training, like sales simulations, customer service, or onboarding with clear talking points.
  • Use adaptive learning for advanced, unstructured scenarios, like senior leadership training, coaching, or complex sales simulations.

In Immerse Creator Tool:

When you are creating a Project with multiple flows and you're considering the order of the flows, remember that a Companion flow is a lesson flow type so it cannot come before a pre-assessment or after a post assessment.

Use Cases

What are the common use cases for Companion?

The best scenarios for a Companion flow are those in which learners can benefit from learning in open-ended conversation role play, not being restricted to a predefined learning path. Examples include:

  • Change management
    • Management conversations and coaching around change management topics
    • Management training
  • Sales training
    • Selling products to different persona types
    • Practicing addressing objections
    • How to talk about pricing or describe products
  • Customer service coaching and role play
  • Recruitment interview training
  • Negotiation training
  • Succession planning
  • Product up-skilling
  • …and so much more!
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*Here is an example image of a module called, “Practicing Self Awareness”, which includes branched narrative, prescriptive flows for the Pre-Assessment, a Lesson and a Post-Assessment and one Companion AI Lesson flow. The Companion AI flow compliments the prescriptive parts by providing the learner with a free-form conversation with a self-awareness subject matter expert coach, where the learner receives expert advice on the topic and then practices their soft skills in a series of role-play scenarios.

Roles of Companion AI

What roles or personality modes can the AI take on?

The AI can serve three main roles:

  1. Role Play Partner – Companion acts as a character within the scenario, enabling realistic role-play to practice and refine soft skills in a safe environment.
  2. Advisor (Coach or Mentor) – The companion acts as a personal guide, focusing on reflection and exploration to help learners navigate challenges and gain deeper understanding. It’s less about delivering content and more about building a supportive, conversational relationship to identify areas for growth and improvement.
  3. Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Companion serves as an expert, delivering accurate, in-depth knowledge on specific topics to enhance learning. The focus is on knowledge transfer, skill acquisition, and instruction.
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How to Create a Companion AI Flow:

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Open Immerse Create tool and follow this tutorial to create a Companion AI flow:

⬇️ Optional: Download this tutorial as a PDF here.

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notes
  • Using Combo doc to plan Experience Requirements and create the prompt to put into Companion
  • Strategy - how Companion Flow fits into larger Project
    • maybe 2 slides (the flows and then the side/side talking vs. 3 choices)
    • you can mix and match - scripted or companion - combination or just one
    • why you would mix and match - intended different learning objectives - pre-scripted or unscripted/adaptive
      • mention - Results screen options (clarify current limitations on saving / assessment - and highlight benefit of practicing freely)
  • Explain Roles here - to illustrate the Use Cases…
    • ask madelina - VH librarian for images of Companion
  • Strategy - if other supplemental training materials will be used (i.e. sales script before practice or a reflection after) (or if Pop-up screen is sufficient)
    • Ways that you can use the initial Pop-up screen (use to prep learner…remember how to exemplify company values abc)
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kellie

Strategy - how Companion Flow fits into larger Project

By combining Immerse Companion AI freeform conversation with traditional branched narrative conversations, authors can scaffold learning experiences by introducing increasingly more complex scenarios.

Prescriptive dialogue branched conversations help learners to acquire knowledge and skills and then transition into freeform conversations to apply skills in more complex and unpredictable scenarios.

Compared to the skills assessment of prescriptive learning, which follows a predefined, node-based scoring framework, the evaluation for adaptive learning takes a more dynamic approach that evaluates conversations holistically. Since the learner has the ability to change the course of the learning in their own way in adaptive flows, specifying standardized skills isn’t the same as with prescriptive flows, so a combination of the two types of flows is best for projects needing skill assessment.

Why choose Branched Narrative Flows vs. Companion AI flows?

  • Based on your intended learning objectives - choose prescriptive or unscripted/adaptive flows:
    • Prescriptive Conversations:
      • Allow an author control over skills assessed and feedback given
      • Include the option for results screens that are either pre-coded and generated by the tool, or customized by the author.
      • Provide results in Dashboard for admins to track and analyze.
    • Adaptive / Unscripted Conversations:
      • Allow learners to experiment with various communication strategies and navigate challenging interpersonal situations - while practicing freely in a risk-free environment.
      • Enables users to refine & develop crucial soft skills such as effective communication, empathy, and negotiation, and receive AI-generated feedback based on their choices.
      • Neither the conversation dialogue nor the results / feedback are recorded, so admins have no assessment to analyze.

How can a Companion AI flow compliment an Immersive Learning module?

  • In Immerse Create Tool, you have the ability to design your project with a unique combination of prescriptive or adaptive flows. At Cornerstone, our best practice is to include 1 Companion AI flow within a module of 2-3 structured, prescriptive flows.
  • Prescriptive learning is best suited for foundational training where structured and focused learning is preferred. Examples include structured sales and customer service simulations, and employee onboarding with defined talking points.
  • Adaptive learning is best suited for advanced learning in less-structured environments. Examples include advanced sales simulation, senior leadership training, coaching and mentoring.
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