My Journey
My Journey explores my path at the intersection of AI innovation and generational research. From building synthetics and digital twins to raising Gen Z kids, I’ve seen firsthand how technology and humanity must align. This is the story of integrating my whole self — technologist, father, maker, and researcher — into more authentic and valuable work.
I’ve spent the last few years deep in AI.
Building systems, training synthetics, exploring digital twins. Some of the work has been powerful — especially when we tether digital twins to real, known people. In those cases, their behavior feels real enough to be useful.
But pure synthetics? That’s trickier. They “work” in theory, but in practice they don’t match how people actually behave. They stumble on things as basic as a Likert scale. We can train them, force mechanisms, nudge the models into line — but none of that feels right. What I want are synthetics that feel human.
The surprising part is that when we give them an inner voice, everything changes. Their open-ended responses carry more nuance, their behavior feels more authentic. It elevates the work. But it’s still hard to validate — and in research, trust is everything.
Why This Matters to Me Personally
This isn’t just professional curiosity. It’s personal.
I have three Gen Z kids, and I’ve watched them wrestle with the world in ways my generation didn’t.
- My middle daughter and her husband are struggling to find an affordable apartment in a decent area.
- My youngest can’t find traditional employment and instead is building a pet-sitting and house-sitting business, while also trying to turn her medical condition into a brand and community.
- My nieces and my kids’ friends face similar struggles — the housing market, trust in institutions, the unpredictability of jobs.
Gen Z isn’t fragile. They’re digital natives, comfortable with tech in ways no generation before them has been. They’re adaptable, opinionated, and pragmatic. But their struggles are real.
As a dad, I want to understand them — and help.
Why I Built Between Silicon and Soul
That’s why I created Between Silicon and Soul and wrote four books in this space. To research, to listen, to try and bridge the gap between generations.
And what I’ve found is nuanced:
- Yes, some of the “entitlement” complaints have truth — my Gen X lens sees that.
- But their skepticism toward corporate loyalty, income progression, and housing affordability? I agree with them. They’re not imagining the problems.
The world really is changing in ways my generation never had to deal with.
Where the Worlds Overlap
And here’s where it all connects.
In my research for Between Silicon and Soul, I developed a layered taxonomy of the generations — a framework that better explains their motivations, behaviors, and drivers. That framework has now become directly applicable to my AI work.
It helps us make synthetics that behave more like real people. It aligns digital twins more closely with reality. It bridges what feels like two very separate domains: AI research and generational research.
The Bigger Realization
This is what I’ve been discovering:
The whole me — not compartmentalized into “corporate Matt” vs. “dad Matt” vs. “side-hustle Matt” — is far more useful, interesting, and valuable.
When I bring all of it together — father, researcher, technologist, maker, writer, man of faith — the insights are deeper, the solutions are stronger, and the work is more meaningful.
That’s the journey of Between Silicon and Soul. Not just a research project, but a reminder that integration matters. Because the future isn’t just silicon, and it isn’t just soul. It’s both.