As artificial intelligence continues to expand, many are curious about how it will affect dating and relationships.Through a survey conducted by Cosmopolitan and Bumble of 5,000 singles ages 18 to 42 using new AI tools and applications, Cosmopolitan was able to deduce how Gen Z and millennials feel about using artificial intelligence while dating.Writers also tested some new apps that use AI to help with conversations, as well as, create dating profiles using a photo of the user’s face.While some people were skeptical of using AI while dating online, Cosmopolitan found that most people were excited about the new opportunities it could bring to the dating scene. They found that despite using AI most people are looking for a genuine connection and that these apps can be helpful tools. Hearst Television entertainment reporter Megan Camponovo spoke with Cosmopolitan Deputy Editor Madeleine Reeves about their AI + Dating feature available online and on newsstands.”Why did the Cosmo team decide to dig into AI and dating? What sparked that idea?”Reeves: “Cosmopolitan has been such a resource for people when it comes to all things dating and relationships for many, many years – and right now, with what’s happening with AI in the dating apps in various new apps that are popping up with chatbots, this is really poised to be the biggest shift to the dating scene since apps came on the scene in the first place.”So we wanted to make sure that our readers were prepared for this, they know how to work it to their advantage because there has been a lot of reporting on the topic, there has been a lot of, ‘Here is this new app that popped up.’ ‘Here is all these investments that some of the major companies are making when it comes to AI and how it can be worked into your profile.'”But we really hadn’t seen two things: A genuine representation of the average dater’s attitude toward these things. Do they actually want AI involved in their dating apps? Would they rather keep AI out of there? And the other thing: (What) we hadn’t seen was genuine, helpful, personal service on how to make this work for you. So that’s what we really aimed to tackle.”There’s a survey as a part of this special coverage. Tell us more about that. What did you hope to learn from readers, and what was the big surprise?Reeves: “(What) we really wanted to know is AI something that our readers feel has a place in their dating lives: Are they apprehensive about it? Are they nervous about it? And also, what are some of the big concerns that they have when it comes to using AI? Because the fact is with dating, much like with everything else, these technology waves come and we can’t stop them. So it kind of becomes this thing where you gotta get on board, you gotta learn how to use it, how to make it work for you. But we really wanted to know: How do people feel about this?”Right off the bat, we heard 69% of people in the 5,000-person survey were excited about the ways AI could make dating easier and more efficient. ‘Cause again, there is that burnout that it feels hard, it feels like work, it feels like extra time spent and looking to make it work harder for you is something that people are really interested in.”Another stat that I found fascinating was that 86% believe that it could help solve that dating fatigue, specifically so whether that’s because, again, it’s helping it become more efficient. I just thought that number was so significant.”Tell us about the special AI + Dating feature. What can people expect to see and where can they find it?Reeves: “There’s a lot of different elements to this package so we have an introduction and background really setting the stage, the explanation for the urgency of this package. We have all of the survey findings that are really thorough and interesting.”We also had some Cosmo editors test out some of these different apps… they go through what the apps do well, what parts of them are maybe not quite where we want them to be yet. We also have an essay from a writer who uploaded AI versions of herself to her regular dating app to see if any of her matches would notice – and it’s kind of a humorous tale that also has some really interesting learnings to it.”In addition to that, we have a troubleshooting section with experts in the tech field about things like, what are the ethics here? What concerns should people have when it comes to things like safety and privacy?”You profiled some of the apps that promise to supercharge your dating life with AI. Which ones stood out and why?Reeves: “Scimatch is a really interesting one. Just because, you know, this promise of being able to upload a selfie and then put together a whole profile for you. It’s interesting, I would direct that to the piece itself because it’s very layered in nuance– here’s what we’ve seen as a trend.”On the one hand, there’s this whole sea of brand new apps popping up, like the ones I mentioned around a really specific feature and a really specific promise.”At the same time, you’re seeing all of the major apps like Bumble, Inc. and Match Group that own Tinder. You’re seeing them make huge investments in AI, hiring executives that are experts in AI. As part of this package, we have an interview with the brand new CEO of Bumble about one of their features that they just rolled out, which is called deception detector. And so within these apps that you may already be using, people are very familiar with.”With all these AI dating aids, what happens when people have to meet in person? Are we setting ourselves up for mediocre dates?”The idea is to use these tools to help you be more authentically yourself and kind of use them as a coach, or use them as an assistant because you’re not going to be doing anybody any good if you’re just copy-pasting something over that doesn’t feel authentic to you, you know, leading with authenticity is so important.”And I think it’s really important to you to talk about the fact that flirting and getting to know someone. These are not skills that we are just born with, or that everybody naturally has, you know. And in fact, when you’re looking for a partner, being good at flirting isn’t probably the thing that you’re looking at in a partner. And yet, that’s what kind of gets us to that next date. And so, these tools are a great way to kind of coach us on some of those things.”After all your research and data, does AI make the future of dating brighter or bleaker? Do you think AI is beneficial or harmful to dating? “I really do think that it’s going to help. I’m encouraged by how eager people seem to learn how to use it to their advantage– I think it can just kind of supercharge some of the things that we’re already doing in dating, whether that’s asking friends for advice or turning to experts.”Within our survey, one of the things we uncovered was that more than half of respondents would rather ask a chatbot for advice on which picture to upload to their profile than ask their friends, which you know, maybe that’s because their friends are busy, maybe they’re embarrassed to ask them. Or maybe it’s because this chatbot is using a data-driven model to see which of these pictures is actually going to get the most responses.”So I think we’re really just at the very beginning of seeing what these tools can do for us.”Cosmopolitan is owned by HEARST, which is the owner and operator of this television station.
As artificial intelligence continues to expand, many are curious about how it will affect dating and relationships.
Through a survey conducted by Cosmopolitan and Bumble of 5,000 singles ages 18 to 42 using new AI tools and applications, Cosmopolitan was able to deduce how Gen Z and millennials feel about using artificial intelligence while dating.
Writers also tested some new apps that use AI to help with conversations, as well as, create dating profiles using a photo of the user’s face.
While some people were skeptical of using AI while dating online, Cosmopolitan found that most people were excited about the new opportunities it could bring to the dating scene. They found that despite using AI most people are looking for a genuine connection and that these apps can be helpful tools.
Hearst Television entertainment reporter Megan Camponovo spoke with Cosmopolitan Deputy Editor Madeleine Reeves about their AI + Dating feature available online and on newsstands.
“Why did the Cosmo team decide to dig into AI and dating? What sparked that idea?”
Reeves: “Cosmopolitan has been such a resource for people when it comes to all things dating and relationships for many, many years – and right now, with what’s happening with AI in the dating apps in various new apps that are popping up with chatbots, this is really poised to be the biggest shift to the dating scene since apps came on the scene in the first place.
“So we wanted to make sure that our readers were prepared for this, they know how to work it to their advantage because there has been a lot of reporting on the topic, there has been a lot of, ‘Here is this new app that popped up.’ ‘Here is all these investments that some of the major companies are making when it comes to AI and how it can be worked into your profile.’
“But we really hadn’t seen two things: A genuine representation of the average dater’s attitude toward these things. Do they actually want AI involved in their dating apps? Would they rather keep AI out of there? And the other thing: (What) we hadn’t seen was genuine, helpful, personal service on how to make this work for you. So that’s what we really aimed to tackle.”
There’s a survey as a part of this special coverage. Tell us more about that. What did you hope to learn from readers, and what was the big surprise?
Reeves: “(What) we really wanted to know is AI something that our readers feel has a place in their dating lives: Are they apprehensive about it? Are they nervous about it? And also, what are some of the big concerns that they have when it comes to using AI? Because the fact is with dating, much like with everything else, these technology waves come and we can’t stop them. So it kind of becomes this thing where you gotta get on board, you gotta learn how to use it, how to make it work for you. But we really wanted to know: How do people feel about this?
“Right off the bat, we heard 69% of people in the 5,000-person survey were excited about the ways AI could make dating easier and more efficient. ‘Cause again, there is that burnout that it feels hard, it feels like work, it feels like extra time spent and looking to make it work harder for you is something that people are really interested in.
“Another stat that I found fascinating was that 86% believe that it could help solve that dating fatigue, specifically so whether that’s because, again, it’s helping it become more efficient. I just thought that number was so significant.”
Tell us about the special AI + Dating feature. What can people expect to see and where can they find it?
Reeves: “There’s a lot of different elements to this package so we have an introduction and background really setting the stage, the explanation for the urgency of this package. We have all of the survey findings that are really thorough and interesting.
“We also had some Cosmo editors test out some of these different apps… they go through what the apps do well, what parts of them are maybe not quite where we want them to be yet. We also have an essay from a writer who uploaded AI versions of herself to her regular dating app to see if any of her matches would notice – and it’s kind of a humorous tale that also has some really interesting learnings to it.
“In addition to that, we have a troubleshooting section with experts in the tech field about things like, what are the ethics here? What concerns should people have when it comes to things like safety and privacy?”
You profiled some of the apps that promise to supercharge your dating life with AI. Which ones stood out and why?
Reeves: “Scimatch is a really interesting one. Just because, you know, this promise of being able to upload a selfie and then put together a whole profile for you. It’s interesting, I would direct that to the piece itself because it’s very layered in nuance– here’s what we’ve seen as a trend.
“On the one hand, there’s this whole sea of brand new apps popping up, like the ones I mentioned around a really specific feature and a really specific promise.
“At the same time, you’re seeing all of the major apps like Bumble, Inc. and Match Group that own Tinder. You’re seeing them make huge investments in AI, hiring executives that are experts in AI. As part of this package, we have an interview with the brand new CEO of Bumble about one of their features that they just rolled out, which is called deception detector. And so within these apps that you may already be using, people are very familiar with.”
With all these AI dating aids, what happens when people have to meet in person? Are we setting ourselves up for mediocre dates?
“The idea is to use these tools to help you be more authentically yourself and kind of use them as a coach, or use them as an assistant because you’re not going to be doing anybody any good if you’re just copy-pasting something over that doesn’t feel authentic to you, you know, leading with authenticity is so important.
“And I think it’s really important to you to talk about the fact that flirting and getting to know someone. These are not skills that we are just born with, or that everybody naturally has, you know. And in fact, when you’re looking for a partner, being good at flirting isn’t probably the thing that you’re looking at in a partner. And yet, that’s what kind of gets us to that next date. And so, these tools are a great way to kind of coach us on some of those things.”
After all your research and data, does AI make the future of dating brighter or bleaker? Do you think AI is beneficial or harmful to dating?
“I really do think that it’s going to help. I’m encouraged by how eager people seem to learn how to use it to their advantage– I think it can just kind of supercharge some of the things that we’re already doing in dating, whether that’s asking friends for advice or turning to experts.
“Within our survey, one of the things we uncovered was that more than half of respondents would rather ask a chatbot for advice on which picture to upload to their profile than ask their friends, which you know, maybe that’s because their friends are busy, maybe they’re embarrassed to ask them. Or maybe it’s because this chatbot is using a data-driven model to see which of these pictures is actually going to get the most responses.
“So I think we’re really just at the very beginning of seeing what these tools can do for us.”
Cosmopolitan is owned by HEARST, which is the owner and operator of this television station.
