When Internet dating first appeared, many people were horrified by it. Using a computer to find a spouse?? Even those who were quietly intrigued by the idea felt as if they had to get on the outrage bandwagon, lest they appear desperate or freakish.
Finding a match online soon broke out of the realm of embarrassment, though, once people started noticing how effective it can be. When friend after friend starts finding their soulmates online, it certainly makes would-be spinsters think twice about their level of pickiness. At this point things are changing completely with the inclusion of AI. Dating apps are now so advanced, in fact, that you can literally create your ideal match. With everything from creating a new girlfriend to taking part in an anime AI chat, the possibilities are blossoming.
The fine-tuning of priorities
One of the great things about AI is that it allows for AI-powered character matching. If an app only gives you a few rigid categories to target a potential match with (say “preferred musical genres,” “wants kids/no kids,” and “smoking preferences”), this isn’t much to go on. But with AI, you potentially have the entire world open to you. AI can look at many different characteristics of potential mates, including:
- Personal browsing habits
- Shopping preferences
- Interaction history
- Detailed educational/professional history
- Social media comments
And much more still. The point is that AI can practically “get to know” people for you, before they even suggest potential matches. This can make a world of difference in the likelihood of finding the right person.
AI assistance with profile generation
As much as AI can get to know your potential matches, so too can it get to know you. And it can see you in a different light than you see yourself. For example, perhaps you don’t think you look particularly good in certain types of clothes. But as AI scans your photo history for you – without the shame and emotional baggage that you might carry – it can draw out great ideas for pictures to include on your profile.
And the same goes for how you present yourself in writing on your profile. Perhaps you’ve forgotten about certain talents you have, or things you are interested in that can actually make a big difference to a potential partner. AI can find these things for you and make suggestions about how to present them. It can be like the best friend you need to help you get out there and show your best self.
Messaging assistance
In the same way that people can become overly shy about creating a profile, they can also have difficulties expressing themselves in messages. How many times did we send messages when we were teenagers and then think to ourselves, “Oh God! Did I say the wrong thing?!”
Well, this risk is significantly tempered with the use of AI-driven messaging assistance. AI can help you with every aspect of crafting the perfect message:
- How to start out (this is often the hardest part!)
- How to respond
- How to carry on to the right degree
In fact, AI can even have conversations for you if you’re too shy or aren’t sure what to say. This can help pull you along until you finally meet your date in person.
AI companions
As mentioned above, online dating quickly picked up steam to the point where everyone knows people who met their spouse online and are now living happily ever after. So it was only natural that, with the advent of AI, the evolution would then blossom into something even more spectacular.
Indeed, the idea of “finding your perfect match” took on a whole new and quite literal meaning with the rise of AI partners. With modern-day apps, you can actually create the girlfriend/boyfriend of your dreams. Just plug in your preferred characteristics, and Boom! There they are.
AI partners offer much more than pleasant appearances, of course. Their capabilities far exceed anything we might have dreamed of even a few years ago:
- AI partners can talk to, encourage, console, and provide all manner of companionship to people. Many people who have found AI partners say that they feel just as attached to them as they do to people in their lives.
- Some AI companions are not romantic partners per se, but more like friends that help guide people towards finding real-life matches. They can help encourage people, provide assistance on where to look for love based upon people’s preferences, give emotional support when people become discouraged, and much more.
Is it dangerous?
For the Old School sticklers among us that take pause at all this, it is fair to wonder if this all might not start going in suspicious directions. What if your AI partner fails to love you the way that you love them? What if you rely on an AI app that gets bugged by malware? Could it all just go up in smoke?
These are all legitimate concerns, and ones that we should remain wary of as the technology continues to improve. If we start to see our friends’ AI companions acting funny, we shouldn’t just let it slide. On a larger societal level, there will be a lot of things to think about with regard to regulations, how to educate young people, and many more large-scale considerations.
In the meantime, start searching
While there certainly are potential risks involved, no one can deny the fact that these advancements are extremely exciting. They hold great promise for helping would-be hopeless people find happiness in life. And they are helping to grow the AI-connected world in general, which now finds its way into every aspect of our lives. So get on out there and start looking for your perfect mate. You can even invent a new hair color.