AUSTIN, Texas — People are turning to artificial intelligence to give them an edge while communicating, but what are the risks?
Generative AI is being incorporated into numerous aspects of our lives, school, church and work. Even when it comes to matters of the heart – the main thing that separates us from technology – we're not safe.
AI consultant Ian Clarke said the AI technology used on dating apps already decides your dating pool.
"Match optimization, so that's using artificial intelligence to try to predict who will be a successful match based on the information they provide to the dating system," said Clarke.
Lately, it's gotten a lot deeper than that. Large language models for communication, similar to ChatGPT but for dating, have already hit the market.
Keys AI is one of them. It's a dating/texting coach. You download the app, which becomes part of your keyboard. It analyzes your conversation and gives you options on how to respond. You can choose whether to ask a question, agree and more. Then you choose the "vibe" of your response, like witty, flirty and so on. It'll give you responses to choose from, or you can tell it to generate again before you actually send that message. It will also tell you who has the leverage in the conversation.
Keys AI CEO Taylor Margot said the company gained half a million users since launching in early 2022.
"Why are people interested?" said Margot. "I think it comes out of desperation. So, when people reach for Keys AI, they're basically raising their hand and saying, 'I have something I really want, which is better communication in my romantic relationships.'"
A similar app called Your Move AI was created by University of Texas alum Dmitri Mirakyan. He said with his app, users are getting more replies, which is one of many signs that the tech works.
"I was spending a lot of time on dating apps, and it really just felt exhausting," said Mirakyan. "Like it was a part-time job, almost like I was recruiting and matching with people, trying to come up with what to stay, having the same conversations over and over again."
Dating app fatigue is something dating coach Blaine Anderson said is a growing issue.
"A lot of the problems that my clients are dealing with is that they aren't relating to people and communicating because they spend so much time behind the screen and relying on technology," said Blaine. "Adding another layer of technology, or robot, is actually getting them farther from the target."
Both app creators said they're not trying to substitute human connection with technology; they're just trying to help people be better communicators.
"I want people to meet somebody in person and unsubscribe from my app," said Mirakyan.
Clarke said some big-name dating app companies feel differently.
"What they're really optimizing for is profit," said Clarke. "In the case of dating applications, there can be a bit of a conflict there because if you successfully match people into a long-term relationship, you've just lost two customers."
Regulation
While these chatbot apps can be witty and helpful, AI is unregulated, and the internet trains a lot of chatbots.
"It's top of mind and it's a struggle," said Margot.
The AI chatbots are fed by Reddit conversations, YouTube comments, blogs and more, which can make them biased, abusive or deceptive.
"It's got so good at communicating that it can be quite difficult to tell an AI apart," said Clarke.
President Joe Biden recently issued an executive order to create new safety and security standards for AI.
"It's already happening," said President Biden during the order's briefing. "AI is being used to deceive people – deep fakes."
Margot said he voluntarily put safeguards in place for Keys AI, like internal checks and monitoring conversations, but with personal relationships, it's a fine line.
"We're not in the business of deciding which kink is right or wrong, or whether or not we should or should not be talking about kinks," said Margot. "Our job is to prevent against things that are truly beyond third rail. However, we're not going to step in and start judging whether or not we think your communication is, you know, good or bad."
Authorship
When interviewing people around Austin, many questioned the authenticity of using AI to create conversations.
Margot said he believes the definition of authorship will change within the next five years because of AI.
"I don't care if it's an email, a text message, a note on a dating app or maybe even a book that somebody hits send on – when you staple your name to a set of words, does it matter who wrote them?" questioned Margot. "That's what becomes an author, because you've put yourself out there to be judged, to be evaluated, to be exposed. Like when we watch politicians on TV give a speech, we know deep down in our heads they didn't write that speech, but we attribute the words to them. It's the same thing here."
The future
Experts said we have to move fast on regulations for all types of AI use because this technology is getting smarter and faster.
"The two routes we go – all sci-fi mode, bots talk to bots, or we stay with the sort of like, driverless car with a person in the driver's seat," said Margot.
"I'm both excited and nervous about the technology," said Mirakyan.
Mirakyan said he has a 10-year vision where in the future, he would like to create an assistive technology that helps people understand social cues in real time.
All in all, we have to buckle up for some significant changes in the future. Just remember, nowadays, when it comes to matters of the heart, a third party could be involved, and it's not human.