Do you know that the study of the possibilities and prospects for the development of artificial intelligence began in the fifties of the twentieth century? In 1950, one of the pioneers in the field of computer technology, Alan Turing, wrote the article “Can a machine think?” The author described in detail the procedure in which it will be possible to detect the moment when the machine equals the human in terms of intelligence. Subsequently, this procedure was called the Turing test. Obviously, there have already been cases when artificial intelligence has successfully passed this test.
In fact, AI is an extremely versatile tool that can open up huge opportunities for humans. Currently, we want to concentrate on more “mundane” things that are close to everyone. Namely, online dating.
Already, there are apps, dating sites, and video chats that rely on AI for their function. It turned out that the younger generation is extremely interested in using the latest technology to find new friends or soul mates. The natural craving for technological innovations further encourages young people to use those services and online platforms that use the most non-standard and new solutions. Hence, the introduction of artificial intelligence, gamification, and the addition of social media elements have become commonplace for modern dating services.
Sites, dating apps, and video chats that have already implemented AI
Nonetheless, for a better understanding of what artificial intelligence can actually give us in the field of dating, let’s take a look at some examples of how it works today. In fact, every day, more and more dating services claim to use AI and smart matchmaking algorithms, but in reality, we are usually talking about rather primitive technologies that cannot be called artificial intelligence in the direct sense. Therefore, some exceptions will be talked about in the next section.
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Iris
The Iris app uses artificial intelligence to find people who you might like due to their appearance. After registering, Iris will show you some random faces, and then you need to choose which photos you like or dislike. In this way, the Iris algorithm learns and understands your preferences better, and then invites you to meet users who you might like. According to the developers, they have spent over 100,000 hours understanding how attraction works. In addition, the Iris website says that the efficiency of matching a pair here is 40 times higher than on other sites. The more you use the app, the more accurate the algorithm works.
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Coffee Meets Bagel
A very popular dating app with a focus on artificial intelligence. The user matching algorithm is based on the work of a deep neural network and uses a “mixed” pair selection method. According to the developers, Coffee Meets Bagel uses nine different user profile analysis models to find the most successful matches.
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Tinder
The developers of Tinder do not talk too much about the work of the internal algorithms of their application. However, we do know that every Tinder user is assigned an ELO rating that actually ranks your profile. When forming a rating, the number of swipes left and right, the quality and completeness of filling out the questionnaire, activity in the application, and much more are taken into account. Based on ELO, Tinder can select successful matches for dating with high accuracy. Once again, the more actively you use the application, the better and more accurate the recommendations will be for you.
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eHarmony
Right now, the developers of the dating service eHarmony are working on the implementation of a new AI algorithm that will analyze the activity of users’ communication and offer to meet offline at the most appropriate moment. This can become a very useful feature because many contemporaries simply don’t have some kind of “push” for the first real meeting. Therefore, some online dating never develops into a full-fledged relationship. eHarmony’s artificial intelligence aims to improve the situation.
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Chatroulette
Chatroulette video chat is based on random pair selection. It is a popular alternative to Omegle with almost identical functionality. The main difference is that Chatroulette has recently been using artificial intelligence to automatically find users who violate the rules of the site in order to deny them access. This helps to do without a large team of moderators while making communication comfortable and safe for each user. A somewhat similar method is used by other popular video chat alternatives. However, they have their characteristics. For example, Monkey supports double dates and group video chats, while Omegle TV website is ideal for men who want to chat exclusively with girls.
What experts say about the active use of AI in the dating industry
Artificial intelligence is a relatively new phenomenon. Therefore, the attitude of contemporaries to it can be termed ambiguous. There are quite a few contradictions. Some say that AI saves a lot of time and effort. Others say that it only limits our ability to find the perfect match by eliminating people it considers unsuitable.
What do experts say? They believe that they are in one way or another connected with artificial intelligence in their professional activities.
“According to our research, many people perceive the implementation of AI in dating applications as a positive development. Smart algorithms analyze the interests, preferences, and actions of users, recommend suitable candidates, and help to find a potentially worthy couple. However, despite all the benefits and possibilities of recommendation services, I believe that we need to remain vigilant and remember that we cannot know for sure who is on the other side of the screen.”
— David Jacoby, Security Researcher, Kaspersky Lab
“At first glance, artificial intelligence and love are not compatible. After all, algorithms cannot feel, they are not able to analyze many personal qualities of a person, such as empathy, openness, and emotional stability. However, this does not prevent AI from being an excellent assistant in finding the perfect couple, although you are not meant to trust it 100%”
— Birgit Hölzel and Stefan Ruzas from the Munich practice of Liebling + Schatz
“We don’t choose breakfast, the type of morning workout, or the route to work. The algorithm makes the choice for us to maximize efficiency. By 2030, artificial intelligence could be at the core of basic human action, doing most of our daily tasks for us and guiding our actions. However, I don’t think it will make our lives better.”
— Baratunde Thurston, futurist, a former chief digital officer of The Onion and co-founder of tech startup Cultivated Wit
To sum up: artificial intelligence can help if used wisely
As we can see, even among experts, the attitude towards AI in the dating industry is very ambiguous. Some believe that artificial intelligence makes our life easier and more comfortable, helps to solve various problems faster, and gets rid of routine tasks. Others are convinced that any artificial algorithms only drive us into additional frameworks and limit us in every possible way.
If you look objectively, both sides are right in their own way. This can be seen very clearly in online dating. On the one hand, AI helps us to find potentially suitable partners faster. Additionally. it eliminates those people whom it considers unsuitable. In this case, errors are possible both in the first and the second case.
Is it worth using AI dating services?
It’s rather yes than no. At a minimum, we recommend trying this dating format, evaluating all its advantages and disadvantages, and after that, making an informed decision on how to proceed. We believe that everyone should decide for themself which service and how to use it!
