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Five ways artificial intelligence can improve your dating life

Artificial intelligence is going to transform how we date. The question is: will it be for better or worse? It's already causing some real problems, especially related to "romance scams" and other fraud.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Used in the right way, AI can actually make dating better. It can help write profiles and find matches, provide dating advice and coaching and, if all else fails, become a date companion.

I have spent the last few years studying , and , on our romantic lives. And I think this is an exciting time to be single and online.

The Kinsey Institute's revealed that 14 percent of Gen Z-ers, and six percent of all single people, are already using AI to help with dating. Here are some ways you can use it right now.

(1) AI can help you create a dating profile

Some people are great at making profiles for themselves. They have a knack for writing short self-descriptions that are witty and charming. They can take Instagram-ready selfies, or have friends who are talented photographers.

For the rest of us, though, putting together a profile can be a daunting experience. AI can make things easier. It can help you write your bio and edit crappy selfies into presentable photos. It might even edit out .

While it may feel deceptive, we should view AI as an equalizer. People who want to spend time and money to improve their profile already have lots of ways to do so. AI can provide fast, free assistance to people who can't make the same investments. It helps us put our best selves forward.

(2) AI can act as a style adviser and dating coach

When OpenAI unveiled its latest chatbot, ChatGPT-4o, the demo who asked a bot for feedback on how he looked. New York Times reporter Kevin Roose for a "fit check."

But getting advice on your outfits is just the beginning of what AI can do to help you get ready for your big date. It can suggest places to meet or give you a list of interesting things to do. It can also help come up with topics of conversation and rehearse your banter with you. And it can act as a hype man, to give you some inspiration before you head out the door.

(3) AI can help you find matches

The swipe model for dating apps . But AI could finally bring some innovation.

Bumble founder Whitney Herd . She recently raised the possibility of what she called "AI dating concierges," bots that can chat with the bots of possible matches on your behalf to determine compatibility. A company called Volar is already offering .

The prospect of armies of chatbots all talking to each other might seem dystopian, but compare it to the system we have now where users spend on average on a single profile before swiping them away forever. And most of these swipes are, let's face it, based on the first photo.

An AI dating assistant could actually give you matches that are based on common interests or other factors more substantial than just looks. You could train the AI to know your personality, and you could give it a sense of what you're looking for in a partner. It could chat with the AIs of everyone in your vicinity, and, for the people it thinks might be good matches, it can give you transcripts of these chats. You can take over from there, to actually make contact with a human being.

(4) AI can provide relationship counseling

Dating has its ups and downs. Some of us have a great network of friends or can afford a real-life therapist. Not everyone has these options. AI is always available, even at 2 a.m., when you've just been dumped over text. It's also much cheaper than a human psychologist.

As , one of Character.AI's bots, The Psychologist, "is one of the most popular on the platform and has received more than 95 million messages since it was created." It's just one of many AI counselors now on the market. While the evidence on the effectiveness of AI therapy , it's .

(5) AI can actually be your date

Before launching ChatGPT-4o, Sam Altman : "Her." This may earn him a , since the chatbot used a voice that sounded a lot like her character from the .

But it's no accident that the movie, about a man who falls in love with an artificial companion, has become a touchstone in the AI world. People are forming social bonds with chatbots in large numbers. Character AI says that 3.5 million people , spending an average of two hours a day on the platform. Another, Replika, .

While many people have noticed that the new ChatGPT , it does not allow explicitly romantic or sexual conversations. But other chatbots do not have the same restrictions. Replika originally offered an "erotic role play" feature, though it in response to .

But there's no shortage of competitors. Alex Cardinell, the chief executive of Nomi, another company that makes companion bots, said . Grindr it's going to build an AI boyfriend directly into its app.

AI and the future of dating

The prospect of people forming intimate relationships with chatbots raises numerous concerns. Privacy is . But AI companions also have the potential to improve our lives.

Researchers at Stanford University conducted a survey of 1,006 student users of Replika. They found that the overwhelming majority believed that their , and in some cases, even reduced their thoughts of suicide.

AI assistants and companions won't be for everyone. But for many people, they can provide a worthwhile addition to their social and romantic lives.

Dating is hard, but as AI gets more sophisticated and becomes integrated into our everyday lives, we shouldn't be afraid to allow it to lend us a hand. Just don't forget to thank it at the wedding.