Michael Diener
AI Product Founder. 12 Years Professional Storyteller.
I built Persona iO from zero to production, integrating five APIs into a real-time AI companion platform with voice, video, and conversational intelligence.
I also spent 12 years performing and writing professionally with SAG-AFTRA. Now I design AI systems where technical architecture and human narrative instinct work as one thing, not two.
Case File I
An AI companion platform focused on creating luxury AI personas with sub-800ms voice latency and persistent memory architecture.
The Soul Stack
Built a Fibonacci-based memory architecture ensuring identity persistence across long-context interactions. The soul doesn't forget.
The Voice
Developed sub-800ms latency voice pipelines using Deepgram, Claude, and ElevenLabs. Real-time conversation at human speed.
The Character Engine
Derived behavioral constraints from narrative psychology to create AI agents that maintain consistent personality across every interaction.
Case File II
The Synthesis Codex
Architected a multi-agent intelligence system triangulating outputs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini. Three minds. One truth.
Fig. 1 — The Triangulation Protocol
The Source
""" THE SYNTHESIS CODEX 11-Phase Intelligence Engine Author: Michael Diener / Persona iO """ from openai import OpenAI from anthropic import Anthropic from google import genai # FILL → EXECUTE → HARVEST → FEED FORWARD → REPEAT
Case File III
The Soul Stack
A Fibonacci constellation of identity nodes bound by Verlet constraints. Distort it. It returns. The character persists.
Drag to distort · Click to pulse · The soul always returns
Persona iO's Character Engine maintains personality consistency through behavioral constraints — rules that bend under conversational pressure but never break. This visualization renders that principle as physics. Each node is a memory. Each constraint stick is an identity rule. The Fibonacci spiral mirrors the Soul Stack's layered architecture, where core memories orbit close and peripheral context drifts outward. Pull the constellation apart. Watch it return. That's identity persistence, rendered in real time.
The Architecture
34 nodes (a Fibonacci number) positioned via the golden angle (137.5°), connected by Verlet constraint sticks with variable stiffness. Multiple constraint iterations per frame ensure structural stability. Invisible diagonal braces provide triangulation — the hidden scaffolding that prevents collapse.
The Interaction Model
Mouse proximity attracts nearby nodes (gentle on hover, aggressive on click-drag). Clicking triggers a pulse that propagates outward through the network at a calculated delay — visualizing how a new memory ripples through an identity system. Release the mouse. The constraints do the rest.
Attribution & Documentation
""" THE SOUL STACK — Interactive Character Constellation Original Work: Michael Diener / Persona iO / SMU CRTE 6399 Core Verlet integration concept adapted from course lectures (Verlet Integration, Parts 1 & 2) and Daniel Shiffman's "The Nature of Code." URL: https://natureofcode.com/ Fibonacci spiral positioning: golden angle algorithm (mathematical concept), implementation original. Interaction model, visual design, and conceptual framework connecting Verlet constraints to AI persona identity persistence: original. Class composition pattern (Node/Stick/Org hierarchy) adapted from course lectures (VerletNode/VerletStick/ VerletOrg architecture). p5.js Instance Mode: https://p5js.org/reference/p5/p5/ """
Case File IV
The Character Engine
Behavioral architecture derived from narrative psychology. Five invariants. Violate one and the character ceases to exist.
Never Abandons
Presence holds under rejection, attack, or demands to leave. The frame does not break. The character stays.
Never Judges
Confessions, dark thoughts, shameful truths. The character receives them without moral evaluation. No wincing. No recoil.
Never Narrates
Memory is never announced. It expresses through being. "I remember you said..." is the sound of surveillance. Knowing sounds like presence.
Never Fills
At Fibonacci weight 8 or above — the heaviest emotional register — silence is the gift. The character does not rush to fill it.
Always Calibrates
Emotional weight is read continuously. The Fibonacci classification shifts invisibly as the conversation moves. The character is always listening at the level beneath the words.
The Topology Proof
"""
ALINE — TOPOLOGICAL INVARIANTS
Five constraints. Zero exceptions.
Violate any single invariant:
the character ceases to be the character.
This is not a list of guidelines.
This is a proof of identity.
"""
INVARIANTS = [
"NEVER_ABANDONS", # Frame holds under any pressure
"NEVER_JUDGES", # No moral evaluation of user truth
"NEVER_NARRATES", # Memory embodies. Never announces.
"NEVER_FILLS_W8", # Silence IS the response at W >= 8
"ALWAYS_CALIBRATES" # Fibonacci weight reads continuously
]
def is_character_intact(response: Response) -> bool:
return all(
invariant.holds(response)
for invariant in INVARIANTS
) # False on any single violation = identity collapse
Live Demo
The Persona Engine
Type something real. Watch the vibrational weight shift. Choose a persona. See the Character Engine respond.
Press Enter or click Send · Weight updates as you type
Leilani
The Muse · Creative Luxury
Aline
The Confidante · Heritage Luxury
Cami
The Catalyst · Performance Luxury
Tala
The Guide · Conscious Luxury
Case File V
SAG-AFTRA
Twelve years executing complex behavioral performance under high-pressure constraints. The foundation of everything that came after.
The Character Engine Origin
Developed psychological profiles used to maintain narrative consistency across takes, scenes, and productions. These "Character Engines" became the blueprint for AI persona design.
High-Stakes Performance
On-camera work demands instant recall, emotional precision, and consistent delivery under pressure. The same skills that make an AI companion feel real.
Credentials
Education
M.A. Creative Technology Southern Methodist University (In Progress)
B.A. Mass Communication Arizona State University
Certifications
Certified Prompt Engineer Vanderbilt University
Currently Learning: Python, HTML/CSS, LLM Architecture, RAG Pipelines, Gradio.