Meet Franklin – Our new thought-provoking chatbot persona

Designed to foster critical thinking and deeper exploration by unpacking questions and promoting curiosity, Franklin is now available in Val – RMIT’s secure generative AI tool.

College of Business and Law academics, Associate Professor Kevin Argus and Associate Lecturer Stephan Hitchins have collaborated with the Val team (ITS Rapid Delivery) to develop and release Franklin.

Professor Argus says that engaging with chatbots guided by related topics and issues leads to a broader and deeper perspective on the problem to be solved.

"The problem we set out to address with Franklin is how can an AI chatbot help a person think critically and smarter, rather than merely provide narrow answers to questions,” he said.

Our aim with Franklin is to encourage curiosity, critical thinking and deeper insight.

Most chatbots typically search broad databases to provide narrow answers to questions.

Franklin, however, takes specific questions and unpacks them to provide a broad exploration of topics, informing both the investigation and the approach to answering questions critically and creatively.

"Franklin is not just another chatbot – it ignites curiosity, encourages better questions, challenges assumptions and supports deeper exploration of complex environmental, social and economic issues,” Professor Argus said.

Franklin takes its name from Benjamin Franklin (1705-1790), reflecting his constant curiosity, belief in the power of knowledge and need to inform social impact.

Pause, reflect and question more deeply with Val’s new Franklin persona.

How to access and use Franklin

Franklin is available to RMIT students and staff via the ‘Personas’ menu in Val, RMIT's GenAI chatbot.

When Franklin is asked a question, it first provides context followed by 10 considerations for further discussion.

Users can ask Franklin to expand on any of the considerations put forward or to provide greater context.

Example question:

Why is a human-centered approach crucial in design thinking, and how does it impact the outcome of the design process?
How does access to healthcare intersect with issues of inequality and poverty?
How might access to quality education be a transformative factor in reducing poverty and promoting social mobility?

Ample data is available in Val to explore a wide range of topics.

Try Franklin

What else is new in Val?

A range of new features were released earlier this year including creating images, diagrams and graphs from prompts, facility to upload more than 250 document types and dark mode.

Visit the Val page on the student website to learn more.

Share your feedback

Val undergoes constant updates. Use the Provide Feedback button in the Val interface to request improvements and prioritise impactful developments.

23 May 2025

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RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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