Creepy catfish or useful co-pilot: Can AI help with dating app success?

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2023

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An eye-catching profile picture, music tastes that match your own and no opinion on whether pineapple should go on pizza.

As far as dating app profiles go, it doesn’t get much better than that. You swipe right or send a like, and put your phone away, hoping the interest might be mutual.

Lo and behold, barely an hour’s passed and you’ve matched. The excitement is only equalled by the overwhelming fear of what comes next: starting a conversation.

The need to come up with flirty, funny chat can feel like a constant pressure. “I found myself overthinking what the opening line should be,” says Neo Cheng, a health care worker and vlogger. “The more you think, the more you go into this downward spiral.”

Having seen it handle politicians’ speeches, school homework and even some journalism, the 33-year-old Canadian decided to see if ChatGPT could be his digital wingman.

Back in February, Sky News asked the chatbot for tips ahead of Valentine’s Day. But the cheesy chat-up lines (“If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cutecumber.”) and creepy photo comments (“Your smile is so warm and inviting!”) got a thumbs down from our dating expert.

But things have changed since then, with AI developing faster than people swipe left on my Tinder profile and ChatGPT enjoying a substantial upgrade.

The experiment

Neo got ChatGPT to write a 100-word Tinder bio, based on some information about him.

“An introvert with a kind heart,” it wrote, who “loves trying new foods” and is “looking for someone to share laughs and adventures with”. It carried on about how much Neo loved everything from summer to helping others. The tone was more soppy romance novel than snappy dating profile.

Asked for something more concise, it went with: “Health care pro, introverted Aquarius and amateur YouTuber. Summer-loving meat-eater with a weird sense of humour. Enjoys Radiohead, Coldplay, and Justin Bieber. Seeking a partner in crime for laughs and adventures.”

Then on to the photos. The AI suggested using a “clear, well-lit headshot”, an action shot, and a candid photo to go last. Neo went to his Instagram page to find photos that matched its ideas.

Once the profile was complete, each match received a response written by ChatGPT based on prompts Neo gave it about each person’s profile.

Talking to matches

Anyone who’s used chatbots will know they can often sound a bit formal and use flowery language.

Politeness can go a long way, though, and AI delivers that in spades.

“I can only imagine how tiring it can be to learn so much new information, but at least you’re making progress!” was ChatGPT’s response when one of Neo’s matches revealed they’d started a new job.

The chatbot is also a stickler for correct grammar, punctuation, and capital letters – some way from how most people write online. It may give off a good impression, says Neo, but it sounds a little inauthentic.

Its chat-up lines remained cheesy: “Excuse me, but I think you dropped something. My jaw.”

Told the match had responded with a “lol”, ChatGPT proposed: “Glad to see I can still make someone laugh! Want to grab a drink and see if we can keep the laughter going?”

Standing out from the crowd

ChatGPT may have been keen, but Neo’s experiment was just that: an experiment.

The “what I’m looking for” section of his profile was set to “just new friends” and matches were told about the true nature of his replies before the conversation led to a potential meet-up.

But a recent survey by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky and dating app, Inner Circle, found more than half of single men really would consider using a chatbot to help talk to matches. And 51% of women said they would use it to sustain multiple conversations, just as university lecturer Owen is doing.

He lets ChatGPT do most of the work and adds “personal touches”.

“I hadn’t used dating apps for a while,” explains the 44-year-old. “Finding time to have multiple conversations was harder than going on an in-person date.

“Coming up with new lines to open the door to possible dates can be draining,” he says. “Using AI has helped eliminate the ‘writer’s block’ that comes with app dating.”

A new era of catfishing?

But to Jay Dodds, co-founder of dating app Bonkers, which has put user safety at its centre, even AI-generated chat-up lines are a step too far.

“I hate the idea” of using AI to find or talk to a match, Dodds says. “I’m a tech enthusiast and there is a place for AI, but when it comes to dating apps it’s the worst possible idea.

“Even if you create a chat-up line, if it’s not something you would naturally do, you’re already putting a false sense of yourself across.

“We’re about promoting safety, and no catfishing is part of that.”

Kaspersky and Inner Circle’s survey also raised concerns about a new era of AI-based catfishing, with 57% of respondents believing its use in an online dating setting to be dishonest.

‘Do a sense check’

Dating coach Hayley Quinn is similarly cautious about AI’s role in looking for love. She encourages people to do a “sense check” before putting any generated lines into practice, ensuring they are appropriate.

And for those worried about being on the receiving end, there are things to look out for.

Neo says from his experience, signs include responses in full sentences “where everything’s perfect”. “If people are responding in full sentences, full stops, capped up properly, it would make me a little paranoid,” he adds.

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Indeed, his experiment left him less convinced of AI’s role in a genuine attempt to date.

“If you’re using AI, when you actually go on a date it’s to your own detriment,” he says. “There is no help, you’re on your own: what are you going to say?”

As if dating apps weren’t already loaded with red flags, from suspiciously low-res photos to avoiding questions, this brave – or terrifying – new era of AI may have thrown up another one: Who is even writing these messages?

World

Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

Published

4 hours ago

June 28, 2025

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Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

If Hungary’s authorities thought banning this year’s Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong.

Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said LGBTQ+ events like this should be cancelled to protect children.

The crowd was determined to fight for their rights.

“This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned,” said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag.

“I mean that’s all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and Hungary is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal,” she added.

Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers.

They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn’t care.

Orsi said it was worth a fine.

Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk.

“LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other,” he said.

Viktor Orban’s government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights.

“The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone,” he told conservative audiences in the past.

He says he is protecting Hungary’s Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control.

The Pride ban is just the latest targeting of LGBTQ+ communities.

In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s.

While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support:

“Hungary and the Hungarian nation don’t want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids,” said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement.

However, the packed streets showed many disagree.

At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city’s bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers.

The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest.

The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary’s future.

“This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality… for Hungarians, it’s about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy,” said activist Adam Kanicsar.

Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values.

Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.

World

Chants of ‘death to America’ at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Published

4 hours ago

June 28, 2025

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Chants of 'death to America' at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to mourn top military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Iran’s 12-day war with Israel.

State-run Press TV said the event – dubbed the “funeral procession of the Martyrs of Power” – was held for 60 people, including four women and four children.

It said at least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among the dead, including head of the Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami and the head of the guard’s ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Their coffins were driven to Azadi Square on trucks adorned with their pictures as well as rose petals and flowers, as crowds waved Iranian flags.

Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” could be heard.

Attending the funeral were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures, including Ali Shamkhani who was seriously wounded during the fighting and is an adviser to Iran‘s supreme leader.

There was no immediate sign of the supreme leader in the state broadcast of the funeral.

Iran’s president later thanked people for turning out.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people,” Mr Pezeshkian wrote on social media.

“With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world.”

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the deaths “hard and painful”.

Seemingly referencing the recent airstrikes, he added: “Institutions and structures, however important and valuable, return with new glory and greater strength over time, even if it takes years.”

Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said its attacks on Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

The US joined in by launching strikes on three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, which Donald Trump said left them “obliterated”, however the exact extent of the damage remains unclear.

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons programme and the UN nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons project.

Over almost two weeks of fighting, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, before a ceasefire began on Tuesday.