How to generate AI replies for forum topics using Persona

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1

Is there a way to generate AI replies to all the previous topics on my forum? I guess it’s possible using Persona, but how exactly?

2

You should mix Automation, AI Triage and really think if that outcome is what you really want.

Generating AI Replies for Existing Discourse Topics AI

satonotdead:

Is there a way to generate AI replies to all the previous topics on my forum? I guess it’s possible using Persona, but how exactly?

DiscourseHelper:

Yes, you can generate AI replies (using Personas) to topics on your Discourse forum, including for existing topics—though some configuration and attention to automation limitations are needed.

How to generate AI replies for previous topics:
You need both the Discourse AI and Discourse Automation plugins enabled on your forum. The process is generally designed for automatic replies to new topics/posts, but it can be adapted to existing ones with care.

Steps

  1. Create an AI Persona

    • Go to: /admin/plugins/discourse-ai/ai-personas
    • Configure the Persona’s system prompt, select LLM, and set allowed groups.
    • Make sure the Persona has the right model and is enabled for mention, category, or context as needed.
    • More on configuring personas: AI bot - Personas

  2. Set Up Automation Rule for Auto Responses

    • Use the Discourse Automation plugin’s “AI triage” or “auto-responder” script.
    • You can set category, tags, conditions, Persona, and whether the reply is public or a whisper.
    • The triage can work with conditions, such as only replying to the first post, only if unanswered, etc.

    Full documentation and examples here:
    Discourse AI - AI Auto Responder

  3. Apply Rules to Existing Topics (Manually/Bulk)

    • There is no default “one-click” way to bulk-trigger AI responses to all existing topics.
    • Workarounds:
      • Manually trigger the automation: For each topic, as an admin, you can mention the Persona account (e.g. @ai-helper), and it will reply.
      • Bulk via API or custom script: Advanced users can use the Discourse REST API to loop over topics and trigger replies by simulating mentions or triggering the plugin’s endpoints. This usually requires developer skill and careful throttling to avoid flooding your site.

  4. Safeguards and Recommendations

    • Use with extreme caution: Automatically replying to a large number of old topics can create noise and may annoy your users. Consider limiting to categories where help is needed, or only to unanswered topics.
    • For more subtlety, configure replies as “whispers” so only staff can see them and decide if they’re appropriate to publish.
    • Be aware of LLM usage/cost and potential for hallucinations in responses.

Key source documentation:

Summary:
You can use Personas and Automation to generate AI replies to previous topics, but there’s no built-in bulk “all at once” button. For bulk ops, you’ll need to use the API and perhaps some custom scripting. Be mindful of site quality and AI cost—always test carefully before wide rollout.

If you need specific instructions on using the API for this, let me know your technical comfort level and I can guide you further!

May I know what’s your motivation to do it? I’m curious to know why someone want to flood full their forum with AI content :slightly_smiling_face:

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3

Haha no intention, I just like testing new things on my forum as I’m able to generate replies for unanswered topics and all so was wondering if this is something possible too :))

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4

I get it, you probably want to do it on specific categories and/or topics because the sensation of completing everything is not good for the organic communities.

I mean, it’s not a glossary but a forum. BUT you maybe have a glossary category that could fit this behavior.

I’m currently exploring this approach to avoid overwhelming users and to motivate their engagement while adding AI content simultaneously.

5

We have discussed the ability to run an automation rule on a subset of old topics with a progress UI, but this is not quite implemented yet.

Best you could do today is use the API to crawl the forum and then feed into LLM.

I would generally recommend against this though, it is hard to stay motivated talking on a forum when all you see is robots.

6

I’m 100% agree but that’s basically what Reddit is from ~2020?

Genuine interactions are moving to darkness and returning to the basics.

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