Artificial Intelligence ‘can help single people find love'

Yahoo

01-04-2025

Single people can improve their chances of finding love by using artificial intelligence to write their dating profiles, the boss of the Hinge matchmaking app has said.
Justin McLeod, who founded the app in 2012, said AI is now helping users write profiles and choose photographs which are more likely to prove successful.
Mr McLeod told The Telegraph: 'A lot of our users struggle to get on that first date or even get that first match. For a long time, we've been creating reports and writing help centres about what works, what type of photos to use, how to write a prompt.
'But a lot of people don't read that, or if they do... they don't apply it necessarily very well.
'We don't want to put words in your mouth, but if someone says my ideal Sunday and you say 'brunch' – one word – that's not going to give someone a window into you, it's not a good opportunity to start a conversation.
'And so we can nudge you a little bit further to say, 'Where do you like to go?' 'Who do you like to go with?''
Hinge is the second most popular dating app in the UK with more than 1.4 million users recorded in May 2024, according to an Ofcom report.
Last year, Match Group – the app's $7.9 billion parent company, which also owns Tinder – announced plans to invest in AI.
Grindr, a gay dating app, is already testing out what has been dubbed an 'AI wingman', which offers, among other features, dating tips provided by a chatbot.
And Hinge is testing an AI 'photo finder' feature that can trawl through users' mobile phones to identify photographs it believes could result in more matches.
Meanwhile, its 'prompt feedback' service can encourage users to write more detailed descriptions of their likes and dislikes as they set up their profiles.
Another feature asks users if they are 'sure' about sending a message if AI detects it could contain 'harmful content'.
Mr McLeod explained: 'So if someone sends a message that we think is probably not very respectful, then we can have a pop-up that says, 'Are you really sure you want to send this?'.
'And yes, there are all kinds of tools that we can use both to nudge users in the right direction but also to report and ban users.'
Last month, a group of academics signed an open letter calling for regulatory protections against AI on dating apps, warning such features 'may degrade an already precarious online environment' and could worsen 'misrepresentation and depiction online'.
The reliability of AI technology in general has also come under scrutiny.
Earlier this month, a study by the University of Edinburgh found state-of-the-art AI models are still unable to reliably interpret clock hand positions or correctly answer questions about dates on a calendar.
When asked about whether AI would take over conversations entirely, Mr McLeod said this would not be the case on Hinge.
The New York-based entrepreneur said: 'I don't think it's useful if AI is dating on your behalf. You have to go and do the dating.
'We can help coach you and help nudge you in the right direction, but it still has to be you and your voice.
'Otherwise, if you show up on a date and you're a very different person than you were [on the app] then that's obviously not going to work.'
Meanwhile, concerns are being reported about Government plans to weaken copyright laws for the benefit of AI companies.
Earlier this year, the Government announced plans to try and make the UK a world leader with AI, and pledged to improve Whitehall efficiency by cutting the overall headcount and increasing the number of employees in a digital or data role.
Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: 'No time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do it better, quicker and to the same high quality.'
By 2029, ministers hope one in 10 civil servants will work in digital or data, double the current proportion.
However, the proposals provoked a backlash from the creative industries as plans would have made artists' work available for access by AI companies unless they deliberately opted out.
Paul McCartney said AI 'could just take over', as Elton John added that the plans would 'destroy the UK's leadership' in the music industry.
Last month, more than 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Damon Albarn and Annie Lennox, released a silent album in protest
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