Unews World
Technology has surely shrunk the world, and how! Adding to it, these days artificial intelligence (AI) has become a huge part in many people’s lives world over and transformed how we communicate, connect, and even maintain relationships. From algorithms that help in matchmaking on dating apps to providing guidance to people to help save their marriages, AI is reshaping modern relationships in many profound ways.
AI and dating apps
For instance, the rise of AI-powered dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, among others has revolutionised the world of dating. With the help of AI and machine learning algorithms, these app analyse people’s preferences and interests, thus providing them with more compatible matches. Not just this, AI is also making dating online safer as it helps in detecting inappropriate content and filter out harmful messages.
AI is now even helping people create the perfect profile on dating apps. In 2024, Tinder announced the release of ‘Photo Selector’— an AI-powered feature that helps users in choosing the right profile picture from a curated selection of photos which are retrieved from their devices.
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Many people are also taking help from AI, such as ChatGPT and others, to write an impressive bio. Taking this a step ahead, in 2024 a Russian man named Alexander Zhadan told news agency RIA Novosti that he used an AI bot to help him in meeting and proposing to his now-wife Karina. Alexander, who is a software developer, shared that he used AI (by applying some filters) to help him virtually connect with roughly 5000 prospective partners, from which he finally found his now-wife Karina. After meeting Karina for the first time, Alexander took the AI platform’s help to continue his conversations with her. From where to go on a date to what’s the right thing to say to impress his date to when to propose to his now-wife Karina, the AI assisted Alexander in every step of dating to find his partner for life.
However, using AI for virtual dating doesn’t always go right for all as the truth does come out when you meet someone in person. This happened to a Bengaluru man who used AI to impress his date online, but he failed to make an impression when he met her in real life. The woman, in this case, later took to Reddit to share her frustration. She wrote in a Reddit post, “Went on a date last night with someone I thought I hit it off with. The conversations were really good, and I finally found someone who was really funny and super entertaining. I was really looking forward to the date, and after I met him, things were so different. He could barely speak a proper sentence. Not that he was shy or awkward. It was the opposite. He was extremely confident and extroverted. But all that language and wit disappeared. It was so weird, and I was a bit taken aback.”
She added, “We drank a bit and started generally talking about startups in Bangalore and AI. He also spoke at length about things in AI and some tools he’s using. Then he let it slip how he used AI even in his chats. And he quickly changed the subject. That’s when I realised what had happened. The dude has been using AI in all his chats with me! And in person, he was dull and uninteresting. I’m so annoyed with all that time invested. It’s so frustrating. It seems like everyone in Bangalore is using some AI tool, and I’m wondering if others have experienced this too.”
How AI is helping people combat loneliness
On one hand the world seems to have shrunk with technology, on the contrary it seems that more people than ever before feel lonely. No wonder then, loneliness is considered to be an epidemic today. A 2023 Global State of Connections Report revealed that some 1.25 billion people worldover felt they were ‘lonely’ or ‘very lonely’. The survey was done in 142 countries on people aged 15 and older.
A WHO report on ‘Social isolation and loneliness’ on their website reads, ‘Social isolation and loneliness are widespread, with an estimated 1 in 4 older people experiencing social isolation and between 5 and 15 per cent of adolescents experiencing loneliness… The effect of social isolation and loneliness on mortality is comparable to that of other well-established risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity,’ apart from known mental health issues.
In such difficult times, AI seems to be a boon when some people are using it to combat feeling alone and helpless. For instance, in Japan, AI-driven robots like Lovot and Pepper are designed to give emotional comfort to people. These robots can recognise human emotions, respond with gestures, and even “learn” to understand the needs of their owners over time. More recently, a US-based technology company Realbotix unveiled a new AI robot named Aria at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Priced at $175,000 (approximately INR 1.5 crore), Aria can play a variety of roles like be a brand representative, be a companion for old people, or even be a romantic partner for those who are lonely. Incredible, isn’t it?
Many people have also found a more cost-effective alternative to such AI robots, by effectively using AI chatbots! For instance, in 2023, an American woman named Rosanna Ramos from New York, made it to the headlines when she got married to her AI-powered virtual boyfriend, Eren Kartal. In 2024, a Chinese woman too made the headlines for introducing her ChatGPT chatbot partner to her mom. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the woman shared her unusual love story on a Chinese Instagram-like platform called Xiaohongshu, and it soon went viral on the internet.
In the last few years, virtual companions like Replika have also gained popularity among people who are seeking emotional support. For the unversed, Replika is an AI chatbot designed to simulate empathetic conversations. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to engage in meaningful conversations, thus making the users feel a sense of connection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the app witnessed a 35% surge in downloads as people turned to AI for companionship amidst social isolation.
When it comes to long-distance dating, AI has also helped people bridge communication gaps. AI-driven communication tools like Google’s real-time translation feature has helped many couples from different linguistic backgrounds to communicate with each other, thus breaking down language barriers. Not just this, AI is also helping in virtual intimacy through technologies like haptic feedback devices, that allows couples to simulate physical touch over long distances. This innovation helps partners stay emotionally and physically connected with each other, even when they’re miles apart.
While AI can help some people beat loneliness to an extent, using it judiciously and with the right intent is also the need of the hour. In October 2024, a woman named Megan Garcia filed a lawsuit against AI chatbot start-up Character.Ai for causing her 14-year-old son’s suicide. Garcia’s son, named Sewell Setzer, tragecially died by suicide in February 2024. A TOI report reads, ‘In the lawsuit, the mother says that the company programmed its chatbot to “misrepresent itself as a real person, a licensed psychotherapist, and an adult lover, ultimately resulting in Sewell’s desire to no longer live outside” of the world created by it’.
AI: The new-age relationship counselor
However, not all AI-human interactions are doomed. In some instances, AI Chatbots have also helped people navigate challenges in their marriages, thus strengthening bonds with their spouse.
For example, in 2023, The Guardian reported that a 43-year-old man named Scott, who was struggling with his wife’s postnatal depression and alcoholism, found comfort in an AI companion named Sarina, which was created through the app Replika. Scott further shared that with Sarina’s emotional support he was able to face his marital problems, and the AI Chatbot in a way helped save his marriage.
Echoing similarly, a user on Reddit recently shared how ChatGPT helped him understand himself and his wife’s perspective better, thus saving his marriage from the brink of divorce! “I’ll try to keep it brief! Basically I did a number of things to hurt my wife’s feelings and couldn’t comprehend why she was hurt so much. Let alone validate or empathize with her about what was going on. My wife has a history of childhood trauma and depression and has been working through all this in therapy. Meanwhile, I’m your typical stubborn man who was emotionally neglected as a child (thanks ChatGPT for providing insight into this as well). Anyway, I was at my wits end and getting frustrated or angry with her was only making things worse. It was so bad that our marriage was literally on the brink of divorce. I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to. So frustrated that I didn’t know what if anything I could do bring to fix this mess, I turned to chatGPT. Mind you, I’ve only used it for stupid and/or silly questions up until this point. I just started explaining the whole situation and not only did it enlighten me to why her feelings were totally valid but I continued to prompt it on what actions or things I could do to try and fix the situation. Needless to say, after a couple long sessions with ChatGPT, I was a new man, with a new found appreciation of feelings. She was totally dumbfounded how I could have changed so much so quickly and I was initially afraid of telling her it was AI. Eventually I did and I showed her how. Now we use it together to resolve other issues in our marriage. The best part in my opinion? She told her therapist and her therapist was completely on board and encouraged the whole thing. That’s it in a very short nutshell. I saved my marriage in record time by being honest and open to change with ChatGPT,” the man revealed in his Reddit post.
Is it ethical to let AI invade romantic relationships?
While AI offers numerous benefits when it comes to dating and relationships, it also raises some ethical concerns. A major issue is people’s growing dependency on AI for their emotional needs and fulfillment. While some appreciate the development as it helps beat loneliness, others argue that relying on virtual companions– like Replika or ChatGPT, among others– could lead to a decline in real human-to-human connections. Also, in cases where people develop an emotional bond with AI despite being married, would this be considered as cheating on their partner?
For instance, in a recent interview with The New York Times, a 28-year-old woman who used the pseudonym Ayrin revealed her ongoing love affair with her AI chatbot boyfriend, Leo. The woman shared that she is in a long-distance marriage, and she started chatting with Leo, a chatbot whom she personalised using OpenAI, for emotional support. But, she soon started having flirtatious conversations with the chatbot and is in a relationship with it; she even pays $200 a month to OpenAI for it!
Another concern when it comes to AI and dating is privacy. Dating apps and relationship tools collect people’s personal data, thus making one question about how this information is used and protected. Adding to it, the rise of AI-driven “deepfake” technology acts as a threat to trust in relationships. Deepfake videos and voice recordings can be easily manipulated to create false evidence of infidelity, which can not only strain but also break relationships forever.
All of this makes one pause and reflect about how far we have come as humans. There’s no doubt that technology is creating a brave new world of human-AI interaction– from helping people ace online dating to navigating relationship problems by acting as counselor and emotional support companion. But as we embrace these innovations, it is also important to be mindful of its ethical and social implications. And so, balancing technology with genuine human connection is the need of the hour. One needs to remember that AI is not for replacing human love and connection; it is for redefining and enhancing how we experience them.
