Science fiction is becoming reality, as artificial intelligence intrudes more into our romantic lives.
Bumble founder Whitney Wolfhard recently made a bold (and unnerving) prediction that artificial intelligence will soon be dating for us — ushering in a hellish future we never asked for.
“You can talk to our AI dating concierge in the near future and you can share your insecurities,” the former Bumble CEO said at the Bloomberg Technology Summit. “And it can help train you to think better about yourself.”
But why even bother with failed relationships before, when AI can just pair you up with the right partner?
“There's a world where your dating concierge can go and date another dating concierge for you,” she suggests.
Then you don't need to talk to 600 people. It will scan all of San Francisco for you and say, 'These are three people you should meet.'
The concept, as she explains it, involves chatting with an AI bot that learns about you and your preferences — then having it interact with other daters' bots. Brought to the world as your proxy.
In Wolf Herd's mind, apparently, finding love is not a feature of human life, it is a problem to be solved – and a process that should be made as smooth as possible.
“This is the power of AI when used correctly,” he claims of his dating concierge concept.
But is it really? Can something as inexplicable as the spark of human attraction really be boiled down to a string of 0's and 1's?
Already, AI is trying to short-circuit the romantic process.
In 2023, Match — which owns Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid — announced it was forming an alliance on AI, tasked with solving “key pain points” in the dating process.
One of their features was an AI explanation of why you are most compatible with a particular single.
In a mock demo released by the company, a single on OkCupid is matched with Angelina, with the message: “Get ready for endless laughs with this adorable charmer who loves brunch, scary movies, and life. Shares your love in a relaxed way. ! Sound, um, charming?
According to a 2024 Norton poll, though, the description of AI may not be such a turn-off for online daters.
The survey found that 64% would use AI to start a conversation on apps, 61% to build their profile, 59% for dating coaching, 52% to write breakup texts, and 51% for their So will use to go on virtual dates … as suggested by Wolf Herd.
Already, niche platforms like LoveGenius, YourMove.ai, and DatingGPT promise to select your best photos, write bios that are most likely to get you matches, and even write messages for you. do
But what happens when you get to the actual date – and there's no AI Cyrano de Bergerac to whisper interesting answers in your ear?
Singles are also reportedly using AI for their sexting conversations, which inspired the term “auto-correct” – a spoof of “auto-correct”.
Artificial intelligence dating “assistance” Cupidbot.ai is probably the worst thing ever.
For just $30, the service takes over your dating app — from matching to messaging and getting digits — without notifying you until your entire date is set.
It seems that what AI is really trying to take away from dating is our humanity. So, by that logic, why not eliminate it altogether?
Well that could be the future. New create-a-girlfriend platforms are a bear for partners.
“People are already madly in love with these bots because they flirt and share intimate secrets with them,” warned social psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his recent book “The Anxious Generation.”
Platforms like Fantasy GF let men choose a virtual girl's personality (such as innocent, caring, or seductive) and her career from strictly contrasting options such as stewardess, boutique owner, and wedding planner. are
They can also choose from a menu of outfits, including yoga pants, bikinis, lingerie, nurse uniforms, and even tribal clothing, as well as low-G-rated features such as body type, butt shape, and breast size ( range, of course, all the way up to very large).
It's a dirty, sexist, hypersexualized future in which women are reduced to pixels.
Some experts worry that this is just a taste of a growing dystopia, especially as a generation of young men grow up with AI and fail to develop the skills necessary to land a real-life girl.
Haidt warned: “As they are transplanted into ever-more lifelike sex dolls and sex robots, increasing numbers of heterosexual men may find … [a] A mechanical girlfriend is better than the thousands of left swipes they get on dating apps, to say nothing of the social risk of approaching a girl or woman in real life and asking them out on a date.”
That's the future Whitney Wolfhard and other tone-deaf techies are happily leading us toward.
But will we let AI overlords colonize the human experience of love – and reduce us all to pixels too?