AI Is Changing The Future Of Online Dating

Following the introduction of Tinder in 2012, we’ve been living in the “on to the next one” paradigm, ending relationships at the first sign of misunderstanding. And the impact of the swipe culture stretches far beyond that. Instead of actually meeting people offline, talking to each other, and discussing issues face to face, we lean in the comfort of emojis, likes, and instant messaging.

Is there a way to persuade the 270 million people who use apps like Badoo and Tinder to adopt a more meaningful approach to dating? Surprisingly, technology emerges as a double-edged sword here. We’ll examine the benefits of combining artificial intelligence technology with dating apps.

AI dating apps: a match made in heaven

Algorithms help users find more compatible partners

The early dating websites and apps, such as Match.com, eHarmony, and Grindr, only allowed users to search for potential partners by age, gender, location, sexual orientation, and shared interests. As a result, single-and-looking people had to scroll through thousands of profiles corresponding to these criteria.

Today, machine learning models can do the job for you.

Dating apps that use AI may identify common facial features in profile pictures of users you’ve swapped left or right and figure out your dating type.

Image source: Mashable

Besides physical appearance, AI may detect objects in images and show you more profiles of users who, say, play the guitar or frolic on the beach in their pics. For example, Tinder harnesses Amazon Rekognition to detect personality markers and improve the matching algorithm for premium users.

The bad thing is, ML models need training data to make accurate predictions, so you’ll have to spend a lot of time in the app to get more likes and matches.

For lazy daters, there’s an option to search for potential partners who resemble celebrities. The feature is currently supported by Dating.AI and Badoo, the dating app veteran with 60 million active users globally. Besides matching you with a person who looks like Bill Skarsgård or Gigi Hadid, the celebrity doppelganger feature helps you find and ignore imposters.

Some dating AI applications go even further and attempt to predict the chemistry between two people based on their DNA profiles! We’re talking about DNA Romance, an app that uses artificial intelligence to match couples by linking their DNA samples to sixteen personality types according to the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator.

Algorithms encourage users to get to know each other

Remember the Black Mirror’s Hang the DJ episode where individuals were matched into a relationship by a digital coach? The artificial intelligence dating program, which lived on a Nest-like device, set expiration dates for relationships (some encounters would only last a couple of minutes!) and analyzed breakups to find a better fit.

Image source: Corleones & Lannisters Corleones & Lannisters

Lasting, healthy relationships are defined by the amount of time we spend with a person. It is technically impossible to establish an emotional connection with someone if we put quantity over quality.

Artificial Intelligence Matchmaker (AIMM) is a real-world dating app that aims to solve this problem. Similar to the Black Mirror Coach system, the virtual assistant communicates with a person for at least one week before introducing them to other people. The AI-based application makes sure to suggest candidates one at a time, thus allowing users to learn a few things about each other and make a well-informed decision about whether they should stick together or move on to the next partner. The application also guides users through the matching process by arranging phone calls and offering dating advice.

Algorithms improve the courting experience

A less common way to use AI technology for dating apps revolves around improving the overall dating experience in a variety of ways:

Filtering fake accounts and inappropriate content. In a world where 72% of dating app users block other people’s profiles for misbehavior and offensive content, more applications turn to artificial intelligence to curb harassment. An example of this is Tinder’s reporting system that detects the use of improper language and asks users how they feel about it. An algorithm developed by a team of researchers from the University of Warwick flags bot accounts with 99% accuracy based on their IP addresses, messages, and stolen images. And a popular live streaming dating app uses machine learning to spot inappropriate content and block users who spread it.

Coming up with personalized recommendations. Sean Rad, Tinder CEO, defines artificial intelligence as a smart filter that knows what people are interested in — and delivers content that best matches their interests. Besides finding users with similar hobbies and life goals, Lara, Match.com’s chatbot that works in sync with Google Assistant, suggests ideal date locations in your area. Another example comes from eHarmony, whose AI studies user behavior to figure out the best time to email each other.

Correcting grammar and spelling mistakes. You may spend weeks choosing perfect photos for your Tinder profile and still get 14% fewer responses just because you’ve made two spelling mistakes in the About Me section! In fact, proper grammar ranks higher on your date’s wishlist than good teeth and self-confidence! To fix typos and grammatical errors in your profile and messages, you can use AI-powered tools like Grammarly’s Mobile Keyboard, which also conducts sentiment analysis to make sure you sound friendly and respectful.

Why AI apps might be the future of dating

By 2040, 70% of all couples would be initially meeting online — compared to just 24% in 2017. And there are several reasons for that:

- Even it were not for the pandemic, our lives have become more digital, and the amount of data we consume daily continues to grow

- Younger people prefer to focus on their education and careers, meaning they have less time for in-person interactions with peers

- Our well-being has skyrocketed in the past 20 years — and wealthy, educated individuals tend to socialize less

Artificial intelligence might be a silver bullet solution to the information overload problem. Just like marketers and editors turn to AI to source quality content for their clients from all over the web, dating apps utilize machine learning to help users establish finely tuned connections — even if it means compromising on their quantity. And if your company is looking to conquer the $3.33 billion dating app market, the best time to develop your AI application is now.