GoKawiilMost singles looking for love aren't interested in building a romantic connection with an AI chatbot.
A new study from Match Group, the dating company behind popular dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, found that nearly half (47%) of the roughly 1,000 people ages 18-39 it surveyed "view AI in romantic contexts negatively." And it's a hard pass for most singles if you're interested in AI companion apps, like Kindroid and Replika. Two in five singles aged 18 to 39 refuse to date someone who uses these apps, including over half (51%) of women aged 18 to 24, according to Match Group's findings.
Finding love with AI can be tricky, whether you're using AI to keep you from saying the wrong thing to a new connection, spruce up your dating profile or act as your soulmate to help you practice for the big moment (which we don't advise, more on which below).
Despite all the ways you can use AI on the dating scene, singles have some serious concerns. Most singles in the survey said they use AI for everyday productivity tasks, but when it comes to dating, the bots can't tag along for the ride. Most want purely human connections.
Most singles don't want someone interested in an AI companion
AI is creeping into personal relationships more than in the past. Imagine going to ChatGPT to decide who is right in an argument with your spouse. Or even dating a bot. It's not far-fetched when there are AI apps that resemble personal relationships. Some even have avatars.
The Match Group survey found that dating an AI bot is a no-go for singles -- 4 to 1 opposed. The survey found that only 12% of singles have tried companion apps in the past three months -- mainly to try something new, not as a substitute for finding love. Most used them for boredom and entertainment (45%), and roleplay and simulation (43%). Fewer used AI to build a genuine connection (38%) or process emotions (26%).
Instead of relying on bots, singles are getting advice from friends and family (60% respectively), whereas only 20% are using AI. That's not surprising, considering a study published in March in the journal Science found AI is more likely to agree with you and less likely to help with things like repairing relationships. The study shows you may depend on AI more instead.
Michael Salas, a relationship therapist, agrees that seeking advice from family and friends rather than AI is a better move. Salas tested using AI on a complicated situation he was having with a friend, and the bot's response may surprise you.
"It told me this friend clearly didn't care about me. Verbatim, it told me this," says Salas. "This wasn't something I was even questioning, and I know it was wrong. When I told it that, it immediately course-corrected, told me I was right, and shifted to a new framework. That's not wisdom."
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