A new study conducted by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky found that more than half of single men in the United Kingdom are ready to use ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot that has popularity worldwide, to deceive in online dating.
Kaspersky said that its “Date of DAIte?” research, which surveyed single men and women in the UK to understand how artificial intelligence is impacting the dating world, found that the use of the technology to “boost” virtual dating was already well underway.
The study found that as much as 54 percent of single men surveyed said they would be open to using ChatGPT to deceive a potential partner on a dating app in a bid to make themselves appear funnier or smarter when looking for love.
The study also found that 75 percent of all dating app users said they would be exploring the use of ChatGPT to deliver the perfect chat up line.
It found that the use of ChatGPT in online dating is not just to boost quality, but also quantity.
A finding in the research was that 51 percent of single women admitted that they would be using the AI tool to speak to multiple potential partners at the same time – presumably to significantly increase their chances of finding Mr. Right.
The findings, however, did raise concerns about the possibility of a new era of AI-based catfishing, with 57 percent of all respondents believing its use in an online dating setting to be dishonest.
Kaspersky noted with some surprise a finding that while most single adults said they would use ChatGPT to help with the language of love in real-time dating conversations, only 37 percent said that they would be open to using the tool to enhance their profiles.
David Emm, principal security researcher at Kasperky’s global research and analysis team, said that while using AI such as ChatGPT to create flirty chat-up lines might seem harmless and a fun way to strike up a new conversation with a prospective partner, those using dating apps should be aware that not everyone will be using it in good faith.
“Some may be using it to deceive, and as we have seen with photo doctoring, people can very easily pretend to be something they are not and lure others into unpleasant scenarios,” he said.
“If AI is about to make catfishing even easier, it’s important for individuals to remain vigilant when communicating with others online. Always be cautious and verify the authenticity of those you are speaking with to avoid falling victim to deceitful tactics,” he added.
Crystal Cansdale, dating expert at Inner Circle, a global dating app that puts quality first, said that with the proliferation of dating apps in the cyberworld and billions going online for dating and connecting with the opposite sex, the readiness of netizens to use ChatGPT to rise above the crowd was not a surprise.
“There is a growing fatigue with dating apps right now as there is a lot of pressure on people to be ‘original’ and cut through the noise created by the continuous choice being offered to single people – unfortunately dating has become a numbers game,” Cansdale said.
“With AI tools such as ChatGPT now readily available, I’m not surprised that single people have said they would use it to help them stand out from the crowd, but the use of chatbots is deceiving and a real reason for concern. Authenticity is at the core of building relationships, and despite how ‘real’ a ChatGPT generated message can come across, it will only get you so far and ultimately it is not real,” she added.
Cansdale noted that ChatGPT could also be used by scammers.
“There’s also the matter of ChatGPT being used by scammers. People already need to be cautious of who they are talking to and ensure they are using safe apps that verify its users. These tools make it very easy for fraudsters to prey on the dating world, putting a lot of people at risk,” Cansdale warned.
ChatGPT went viral online with netizens astounded by the human-like responses to users’ queries about any topic and successfully showing it can be directed to write smart and well-crafted texts about any subject.
This success has led to its owner, tech startup OpenAI, getting an additional $10 billion investment by global tech juggernaut Microsoft last January. Microsoft first invested $1 billion into OpenAI in 2019.