2 weeks Ago
From swipe to swipe, dates come and go, but genuine connections are few and far between. With disappointing matches, empty conversations and sudden disappearances, more and more users are saying they're tired of using dating apps. Faced with this growing weariness, some players in the sector are now banking on artificial intelligence to reinvent the experience and breathe new life into the search for love online.
"Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes!” "If beauty were a crime, you'd get life." Whether corny or cute, these kinds of pickup lines continue to fuel exchanges on dating apps. Nearly 13% of Americans say that pickup lines are their go-to strategy on these platforms, according to the latest Forbes Health Survey.
However, this seduction strategy often fails to convince due to its predictable and tacky nature. To remedy this, on April 1 Tinder unveiled a new feature developed in collaboration with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. The aim is to help singles hone their conversational skills thanks to an AI powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o model.
When AI plays cupid The concept is original: users are given virtual cards, each embodying a different AI character and an exaggerated romantic-comedy style scenario. Think accidentally swapping suitcases at the airport or crushing a stranger's sunglasses at the beach. Your mission is to seduce the AI by finding the right words to get the best out of these unlikely situations.
The chatbot starts the conversation, and it's up to users to respond in real time, receiving feedback on their performance as they go along. If they succeed, they land a digital "date” and win the game. But be warned, virtual romance is fleeting: each encounter lasts three minutes, and each player is allowed only five attempts per day – a reminder that Tinder is first and foremost dedicated to real-world dating.
"This project gave us a chance to experiment with how AI can make dating a little more fun and a little less intimidating," explains Alex Osborne, senior director of product innovation at Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, quoted in a news release. While this feature is currently limited to US Tinder users, and is only available for a limited time, it nevertheless reflects a fundamental trend. Dating platforms are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to reinvent the art of online seduction.
The reason for this is that the online dating giants have seen a significant drop in their user numbers in recent years, a direct consequence of dating app burnout. Tinder, the undisputed industry leader, is a perfect example. In 2021, the app still counted nearly 75 million monthly active users.
Three years later, in the first quarter of 2024, this number had fallen to 60 million, according to data from Business of Apps. Bumble, another major player but with a more feminist approach, is also experiencing the same decline. These figures reflect a reality: the era of frenetic swiping appears to be coming to an end, prompting market players to rethink the user experience to appeal once again to weary singles.
Seduction superpower or digital illusion? By leveraging artificial intelligence, they hope to offer more authentic and less machine-like experiences, putting the promise of true human connection center stage. Bumble has thus introduced a photo assistant function that analyses photos submitted by users using machine learning models to identify those that would generate the most engagement on their profile. Hinge, for its part, offers "Prompt Feedback,” an AI-based tool designed to help singles formulate their responses to "Prompts,” the lines that serve as conversation starters on the app.
But these new functions raise questions: can they really encourage more sincere exchanges, or are they simply refining the codes of a system that's already well established? The debate is wide open, but that hasn't stopped singles from putting AI to use. Many use ChatGPT or specialized chatbots such as FlirtBot, Love Lines, Dating CoPilot, MGAI or YourMoveAI as veritable seduction coaches. A June 2023 survey by AttractionTruth revealed that 20% of men aged 35-45 were already routinely using AI to write their online bio and send messages on dating sites.
Plus, 37% of them said they had gained confidence thanks to AI, and 24% felt they had improved their flirting techniques. Since then, these figures have undoubtedly climbed even higher. As artificial intelligence gradually makes its way into the dating world, its use raises serious ethical questions.
In March 2023, an American collective launched CupidBot.ai, an application tailor-made for heterosexual men. For US$15 a month, this chatbot takes control of its users' dating apps and engages in conversation with women, without them being informed that they are conversing with artificial intelligence.
Its objective is to maximize the chances of scoring a quick match by bypassing the traditional chatting phase. The solution is considered practical by some, but is perceived as a disturbing form of manipulation by others. Faced with this growing incursion of AI into our most intimate spheres, some 20 researchers from the UK, US and Europe published an open letter in February to sound the alarm.
According to them, the use of this technology in the field of love and romance could accentuate loneliness, aggravate psychological disorders in young people, reinforce discriminatory biases and alter relational skills in real life. They call for urgent regulation, before AI profoundly redefines our emotional connections. – AFP Relaxnews.
