Note: Dating An AI chatbot it may reduce your chances of finding love.
New research from Match Group, the dating company behind popular dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, found that nearly half (47%) of nearly 1,000 18- to 39-year-olds surveyed “view AI in romantic situations negatively.” It’s also a tough pass for most singles if you like AI-powered apps, like Kindroid and Replika. Two in five singles aged 18 to 39 refuse to date someone who uses these apps, including more than half (51%) of women aged 18 to 24, according to Match Group findings.
Online dating can feel sketchy, and using AI might not make it any easier. There are many ways you can use AI in dating apps, such as tweaking your profile or figuring out what to say to a new connection. While the singles surveyed said they’re ready to use AI for everyday productivity tasks, they don’t want AI to interfere with their love lives — especially as partners.
Most singles are not looking for someone interested in an AI companion
AI is getting into personal relationships more than ever before. Imagine going to ChatGPT to decide who’s right when you’re arguing with your spouse. Or even dating a bot. It’s not that far-fetched, as there are AI applications such as personal relationships. Some even have avatars.
A survey by the Match group found that dating an AI bot is not ideal for single people — four to one opposed. The survey found that only 12% of singles have tried dating apps in the past three months — mostly to try something new, not as a substitute for love. The majority used them for boredom and entertainment (45%) and acting and acting (43%). Fewer use AI to build real connections (38%) or process emotions (26%).
“Dating is inherently personal, and it’s no surprise that singles want their experiences to be based on real interactions between real people,” said Chine Mmegwa, head of corporate development at Match Group, in an email to CNET.
Instead of relying on bots, singles get advice from friends and family (60% respectively), and only 20% use AI. That’s not surprising, considering a study published in March in the journal Science found that AI is more likely to agree with you and less likely to help with things like repairing relationships. Research shows you can rely on AI more than that.
Michael Salas, a relationship therapist, agrees that seeking advice from family and friends rather than AI is a better move. Salas was tested using AI in a complex situation he had with a friend, and the bot’s answer might surprise you.
“He told me that this friend obviously doesn’t care about me. Verbatim, he told me this,” Salas said. “This was not what I was asking, and I know it was wrong. When I told them that, it was quickly corrected, told me I was right, and then changed to a new frame. That’s not smart.”
Salas advises caution when using AI in dating. “I think you have to be really careful because it will take liberties and give wrong or inappropriate advice. Save that for the real people who know. Ask them.” Instead, Salas recommends using AI to organize and generate ideas, as ways to show someone you care — not to replace people.
Using AI in dating has limitations
The same found that the majority (74%) of singles aged 18 to 39 use AI tools, such as ChatGPTalways. And 69% use AI to perform productivity tasks such as summarizing, problem solving and content writing. Many find their use of AI to be good across several use cases. But not when it comes to finding love.
There are exceptions. More than half (64%) can see AI helping them find love, including keeping a conversation going (27%), building a strong profile (27%), starting a conversation (26%) and planning a date (27%). Some AI features are already based on preferences, such as Tinder’s powerful AI matching that suggests connections based on your interests and camera (if you enable it). And there are date planning apps, like Date Idea Generator and My Spicy Vanilla. And Hinge released Convo Starters to ease the stress of sending the first message.
It all still depends on how comfortable singles are with using AI to help matchmaking. Based on the findings of the Match Group survey, the percentage using AI assistance remains less than half in all the most use cases, which makes it clear that most people do not want bots to interfere in their love lives. Overall, Mmegwa said AI can be used to make dating safer and improve outcomes, but not without trust, authenticity and real-world connectivity.
Mmgegwa said AI affects trust and safety with features such as ‘Face Check’ to ensure that people are real and ‘Are you sure?’ maintaining respectful interactions.
“It should help people to communicate better in the real world. We are focused on using AI to help young people know themselves better, do better matches and improve results in everything,” said Mmegwa. “But the user should always feel like they’re in the driver’s seat. AI shouldn’t overpower the developer or take away personal choice and agency.”
