First, an answer to your big question….That question, of course, being, “Will AI fix dating?” Can it even? Because if there’s one thing anyone with a dating app and an interest in hooking up (in any way, short or long term) knows, it’s that this whole current situation is…not ideal. Frustrating at best. Painful or dangerous at worst. And yet we’re all fully indoctrinated, trying en masse to fulfil our romantic and sexual urges via swipe, speaking a dating language—full of breadcrumbing and ghosting and beige flags and GGGs—as if it’s the only way to communicate. Hell, complaining about it all has become a subculture of its own. So yeah, there’s room for improvement. And the companies that have been driving dating for the past decade are betting that that improvement is AI.
If you know where to look, the story of the revolution to come is clear: In August 2023, Match Group, owner of apps like Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid, appointed a vice president of innovation to lead a team focused on AI. Bumble has launched multiple new machine-learning-powered features, including one that harnesses AI based on preferences and past matches to increase the likelihood of success. A sea of brand-new AI-powered apps promises to perfect your dating profile, finesse your flirting game, and generally help you put your best digital foot forward. And then there are businesses like Replika unrolling AI bots capable of having full-on virtual romantic relationships with you.
although “artificial intelligence” and “romance” may sound as incompatible as they come, there’s no stopping this takeover
So back to your question. Will any of this actually work? After six months of researching, analysing, and, yes, dating using AI, we can report that in some cases, it already is working. And that in others, not so much. We can also report that daters are generally open to this next iteration of dating tech: A new Cosmopolitan-Bumble survey found that 69 percent of you are excited about the ways AI could make dating easier and more efficient. 68 percent think AI can help you feel more confident on the apps. 86 percent believe it could help solve pervasive dating fatigue, and 67 percent believe it can make dating apps safer. (There are plenty of skeptics among you too, as is natural and warranted, because issues like bias, privacy concerns, and catfishing are real.)
The other crucial thing we uncovered: an urgent need for an all-in-one-place manual of sorts that dives deep into what exactly is out there right now, what’s coming next, how to think about it, and, most importantly, how to actually use AI to better your dating life. And so us being Cosmo—your always-expert guide to all things relationships and therefore morally obligated to get here first—we’re giving you that manual. The stories below are packed with tangible advice on navigating all this now and in the future. Because although “artificial intelligence” and “romance” may sound as incompatible as they come, there’s no stopping this takeover. As 72 percent of you reiterated, an AI-infused dating future is coming fast, whether we’re ready or not. So let’s be ready, okay?
more...
This article appeared in Issue 01 of Cosmopolitan Australia, originally from Cosmopolitan US. Get your copy and subscribe to future issues here.
