AI is Changing How People Date Online
We’ve all heard about ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way that we function within society. Most recently, you’ve probably heard the news about a wide variety of uses for ChatGPT, an AI that creates text based on prompts. However, AI is quietly finding its way into almost every segment of our lives, including online dating.
AI is already used in various forms to improve the online dating experience with more applications on the horizon. Let’s take a look at how this technology is changing how we swipe.
Keeping Users Safe Online
Safety is consistently one of the most pressing issues when it comes to online dating. Many users have fallen victim to catfishing or various romance scams. More users express concern about the safety of meeting someone for the first time or even exchanging phone numbers.
Fortunately, AI algorithms can make use of Big Data to help proactively identify and remove fake profiles set up by scammers. Fake profiles tend to have similarities in how they are constructed and how they interact with people. Using techniques like machine learning from Big Data, AI can learn these patterns and flag the profiles for review.
In fact, this is already used to some degree by many of the largest dating apps. However, the AI that powers this technology will likely continue to improve as more AI research is conducted. This should lead to this technology getting better and better at the detection of fake profiles.
Creating Text for Online Dating Sites
ChatGPT has already found its way into the realm of online dating. Many users have begun turning to the free AI to help them navigate their mobile dating experience. Many users find talking about themselves to be quite difficult. Some users have begun turning to ChatGPT to write their dating profiles, helping relieve a stressful part of the dating experience.
Other online dating users have used this technology to help kickstart their interactions with others. Users can ask ChatGPT to create an opening message, a funny pickup line, or even a dating-related joke to help start a conversation. For people with a bit of anxiety about beginning a chat, this can be a useful tool.
However, there is some concern about the ethics of using AI technologies like ChatGPT. This AI is so advanced that a user could theoretically use it to hold entire conversations with a match. In fact, this is a topic recently addressed in a South Park episode. This merits discussion for where to draw the line between using AI as tools versus relying too heavily on them.
Better Online Dating Matches
Have you ever lamented the process of swiping through hundreds of profiles to find someone you’re interested in getting to know? This is a common problem with modern dating apps. There are just so many potential matches that weeding through them can become a bit frustrating.
This is an area where AI can help maximize the online dating experience. Using techniques like machine learning and leveraging Big Data, AI can quickly learn your habits and preferences. This means that it can begin to provide you with more personalized matches that better fit your desired type. In fact, many swipe-based apps like Bumble already do this to some extent.
However, as AI continues to improve with new and more efficient algorithms, this process should become much more accurate. Swiping could be replaced altogether. In fact, sites like Hinge already utilize AI algorithms to pass along ideal matches, often with high degrees of success. As this technology improves, we may be able to instantly be paired with a number of prospective matches that mostly fit what we want in a partner.
Intervening in Conversations
Picking a potential match to get to know is only one part of the online dating process. Much of it entails getting to know someone through conversation. This is a growing area of application for AI. One of the ways AI can be leveraged to improve this experience is through promoting conversations.
It can be difficult to know what to say early on in an interaction. AI can recommend initial messages as well as follow-up questions to help promote dialogue. You may even see this used already in apps like Bumble and Tinder. However, as algorithms for this become more complex, this is a tool with the potential for much more accurate performance that could learn to provide prompts and suggestions tailored to your specific conversations.
Another use with a lot of potential is for detecting inappropriate messages. The use of AI could determine if a message contains inappropriate photos and block the message, preventing the recipient from being exposed to content they don’t want to see. For many users, this would be a welcome addition to online dating apps.
AI Has the Power to Transform the Online Dating Experience
AI is already weaving itself into the fabric of online dating. If you pay attention, you can likely see its uses in a number of places. This should only increase as these algorithms become more efficient overall. The future of dating could see AI making it incredibly easy to find an ideal partner.
