When asked about the ethics of using AI-generated messages, Australian dating experts and psychologists give a mixed answer.
Sex and relationship therapist Lucille Shackleton says AI-generated messages can be a useful learning tool for people who struggle to communicate.Credit:
While it could have negative potential, they say, it could be of enormous benefit to people with social anxiety or who are neurodivergent, as well as those new to online dating.
Relationship therapist Lucille Shackleton says she often hears of people using AI as they get to know potential dates. She thinks it can be a useful tool for people nervous about communication, and says it’s important to “make the information yours,” and not just copy and paste answers.
“People don’t necessarily learn communication and conflict management skills in school – or in life, really – so I think once people get into dating and relationships, they start looking for information, and sometimes that comes from access get to things like ChatGPT.”
Evita March, a Federation University psychology professor who studies online behavior, says she doesn’t think using AI to generate messages counts as catfishing, which involves the intent to deceive depending on how often and for how long someone uses it. used.
“The goal of online dating is to eventually meet face-to-face and see if we click,” she says, adding that all online interaction allows us to mask or be less “authentic” than in real life.
How does it work?
AI is used to create personalized messages or replies for someone on a dating platform. On RIZZ, users post a screenshot of a dating profile or conversation; suggested replies or messages are generated immediately. These suggestions are intended to help users separate themselves from the sea of “Hey, how are you?” or “How was your weekend?” messages that users often receive from new matches.
Khaves says that while the app is “not perfect,” it can change strategies depending on the duration of the nascent connection. Twenty-five percent of new users are already in a relationship and use the app to suggest date ideas.
Khaves claims that RIZZ can even help users “de-ghost” themselves if someone isn’t responding.
What are the risks?
March says that while the arrival of AI on the dating scene may terrify some people, she sees no real distinction between using it and “your backyard pick-up lines” or Googling a potential partner’s interests.
However, Jessica Blower, a psychology lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast, says AI can be a dangerous tool for someone high on the narcissism continuum, allowing them to portray themselves as a perfect partner or potential soulmate.
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“Once they attract their target, they enter a cycle where they actually begin to devalue their target in order to increase their own sense of self,” she says.
The eSafety Commissioner’s new online dating safety code, which came into force in October, does not include specific provisions on AI-generated messages. The code, part of efforts to tackle the rise in gender-based violence and abuse, requires dating apps to track and report online harm. (In line with other dating apps, the majority of RIZZ users – about 65 percent – are male.)
Khaves emphasizes that RIZZ aims to provide a “boost of confidence” and not to replace human connection. He says that due to dating app fatigue, RIZZ is offering a circuit breaker.
“People nowadays swipe endlessly and see no results,” he says.
“Hey, how are you?” it just doesn’t work anymore.”
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