In the world of dating apps, AI (artificial intelligence) bots are becoming increasingly common, even though the average user may not be aware of them. As online dating grows in popularity, so does the role of technology in making the experience more efficient and enjoyable. But what do these bots mean for users? How do they affect relationships? And how can we recognize them? In this article, we unveil the facts and myths.

The first and most important question is, how do AI bots work? The goal of AI bots is to simulate human interaction and provide users with a pleasant conversation. These programs use various algorithms and machine learning models to analyze user behavior and responses, and based on this, they generate relevant answers to keep the user engaged and on the platform for longer.

What do these bots do?

They primarily collect and analyze data, as they continuously monitor users’ activities and habits to better understand their interests and preferences. They are also capable of sending automated messages, often pre-written ones, to initiate a conversation. The interaction simulation is perhaps their most interesting function, as more advanced AI bots can make conversations feel more natural by giving adaptive responses, making it harder to recognize them. And this is where they appear on dating sites, and they can have a significant impact on the user experience.

Unfortunately, AI is programmable, meaning that not every bot knows that it is doing harm when it asks for your data during a conversation. This is why caution is advised.

While AI bots themselves are not dangerous, their presence on dating platforms can pose several risks:

• Phishing: Some bots attempt to steal personal information from users, such as banking details or passwords.
• Emotional Manipulation: Bots can pretend to show genuine interest, which can target vulnerable individuals. This can later lead to financial or other types of scams.
• Time Wasting: AI bots often waste the time of people who are looking for real relationships, as users believe they are talking to a real person.

Why do dating platforms use bots?

Many dating apps use them for various reasons. One important goal is to increase user engagement, meaning AI bots help new users start a conversation quickly, thus increasing the time spent on the app. More and more young people report that they are no longer sure whether they are talking to a real person or an AI. It may no longer even surprise us that our data is being used for marketing and promotional purposes. Bots often send messages about new features, offers, or remind users to log in again.

But how can you know if you are talking to a real person or a machine?

Despite the increasingly advanced AI bots, there are still telltale signs that can help us recognize them if we pay attention to the details. I have asked many people if they knew who they were talking to, and for some, this question never even crossed their minds.

What to watch for: Too general and fast responses. Bots often use pre-written responses that do not directly respond to your questions. For example, if you ask a personal question and the response is a general compliment or an answer that changes the subject, you should be suspicious. If you receive an immediate reply to your message, that may also indicate that there is no human on the other side. People generally need a moment to think, they have a life, perhaps children, and might respond more slowly.

And if you’re wondering, is this really happening to you? Too good to be true? AI-powered bots often use highly attractive, AI-generated profile pictures to attract as many users as possible. If someone seems too perfect, it’s worth being cautious. Recurring patterns in messages can also be suspicious; pay attention if they repeat the same phrases or sentences, as bots often recycle their message templates.

What recently struck me as particularly odd was that AI does not always understand the logic between images. For example, when I received a picture on a dating platform showing cushions that were exactly like mine, I sent back a picture of my cushions, to which the response was: “Did you go shopping?” That’s when I realized I was talking to a machine, and I stopped responding.

Unfortunately, AI is programmable, meaning that not all bots know they are doing harm when asking for your data during a conversation. This is why caution is advised.

While AI bots themselves are not dangerous, their presence on dating platforms carries several risks: phishing, emotional manipulation, and time-wasting. These bots waste the time of people who are seeking real relationships, as users believe they are talking to a real person.

How can you protect yourself?

Be very attentive and critical. If something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Ask personal questions that a bot cannot answer. I regularly ask new people if they are real. Try it out, you can get some very funny answers.

Check profiles, search for images online. If a profile seems suspicious, search for its profile picture online to see if they are using a stock photo. Also, feel free to search for the name, and if the answer is that they don’t like social media, be suspicious and ask why, what experiences they have, etc.

Never share personal and sensitive information or pictures! Never give out sensitive data such as your address or banking details. Also, never share your private, erotic, or family pictures, because any image can be downloaded, and unfortunately, people are still trying to deceive others with my pictures, as they can be misused. If you think this can’t happen, believe me… weeks later, new profiles were created with my pictures on different dating sites. It was by chance that I was able to have them taken down. The reason for this was that I made my sent pictures public, one by one, so that if someone searches for them online, they can verify and not be deceived!

The presence of AI bots is slowly becoming inevitable on dating apps. While they can help initiate conversations, they also carry many opportunities for abuse. Caution and awareness are essential to avoid AI-powered scams.

To be continued,
Ada