The five Unit 0 / Unit 3 starter partners cover the most common needs: stress-testing claims, evaluating sources, working through plate-tectonic concepts, reasoning about engineering trade-offs, and rehearsing defenses. Unit 1 adds two: the Planet Hunter (exoplanet habitability reasoning) and the Systems Diagrammer (systems-thinking coach). Unit 2 adds one: the Field Geologist (landscape-reading partner). Unit 4 adds two: the Climate Modeler (IPCC + climate model reasoning) and the Policy Aide (policy-brief voice + panel rehearsal). Unit 5 adds two: The Hydrologist (water systems + case-specific hydrology) and The Stakeholder Voice (role-plays specific water-rights stakeholders for perspective-taking work). The Stakeholder Voice is U5's signature partner: in the BoodleBox arm students build their own version of it for their chosen stakeholder. Unit 6 adds two: the Urban Planner (urban-form + density reasoning) and the Equity & Resilience Partner (displacement, flood and heat, and the informal-settlement perspective); the two disagree on purpose, and students synthesize them. Each is a separate persona with its own scope.
All five share the same design principles:
- Socratic by default. Each partner asks before telling. You do the thinking; the partner shapes the path.
- Scoped narrowly. Each has a clear job. Ask the wrong partner the wrong question and you'll be redirected.
- Honest about limits. Each will say "I might be wrong about this: verify with [primary source]" when uncertain.
- Documentation-ending. Every substantive conversation ends with a reminder to fill out the AI Documentation Template.
For the "when to use which partner" decision table, see How to Use AI Partners.