Dating apps are losing momentum and are facing great difficulties in keeping women engaged. Recent surveys have revealed that more and more women are growing tired of dating platforms due to their bad experiences, including receiving unsolicited materials and violent threats. On the other hand, we are witnessing the rise of virtual “boyfriends” driven by AI. Women are replacing dating apps with AI boyfriends and say their virtual companions offer romance and companionship that can rival that of a human lover.Dating apps are losing ground in the face of the advent of AI companions
Dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble are considering additional features and rebranding to attract more Gen Z women. Match Group, which owns more than 40 dating brands, including Tinder and Hinge, and Bumble , which owns Badoo and Fruitz, both announced plans to strengthen content moderation and integrate other tools to improve the experience for women. These measures come after women complained about their bad experiences and began deserting dating platforms.
A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center (PRC) found that more than half of women under the age of 50 who used dating sites or apps had received a sexually explicit message or image that they didn’t expect. hadn’t asked. More than one in ten women report having received threats of physical violence. A poll by market research firm Mintel found that 47% of men aged 18 to 34 in the UK had used a dating site or app in the year to December, compared to 25% of women of the same age.
A similar (but less pronounced) disparity was noted among older respondents. Resolving these issues is crucial for the sector, as the biggest players are under pressure to attract investors again. Shares of Match Group ($7.8 billion) and Bumble ($1.5 billion) have fallen more than 80% from 2021 highs, reducing their respective values by more than $40 billion. dollars and 18 billion dollars. According to statistics, the number of paying subscribers on Tinder fell below 10 million between December 2023 and February 2024.
This represents a sixth consecutive quarterly decline. According to figures from Sensor Tower, the number of monthly active users, the majority of whom use Tinder’s free services, has declined steadily since 2021. Sensor Tower data indicates that Bumble has also seen a decline in active users in the first quarter, even if paying subscribers remained stable. A survey conducted by Bumble revealed that 70% of women using the app experience some form of weariness. These sites interest them less and less and they turn to virtual boyfriends driven by AI.
As a gay woman, I once struggled to find a real connection online. It’s even worse for my friends who date men. I’ve heard about creepy pick-up lines, harassing behavior, and blatant sexism from the hundreds of men who lurk in the depths of dating apps. It’s no wonder women are turning to chatbots to find a boyfriend, we read in the comments. And despite warnings from experts about the dangers of these AIs, this practice is gaining popularity around the world.
Women are tiring of dating apps and finding comfort in AIs
Data from a study last year in the United States found that 20% of 1,000 respondents had tried flirting with a chatbot. And about 16% of women aged 18 to 34 who participated in the survey did so because they felt alone. Additionally, a number of Gen Z women are sharing their experiences on TikTok of “flirting” with DAN (Do Anything Now), a feature of OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chatbot that bypasses the software’s built-in protections. Other women are adopting other AI chatbots that allow them to create and personalize their boyfriends.
According to the survey report, carried out by Infobip, this trend is particularly prevalent among people aged 35 to 44, as more than 50% of people surveyed in this age group admit to having flirted with a chatbot. The survey reveals that chatbots are not just tools for searching for information or carrying out tasks, but are increasingly seen as companions. This reveals a desire to explore new forms of communication and interaction. The survey identified four main reasons why respondents flirt with chatbots:
- curiosity : 47.2% of participants flirted with chatbots out of curiosity, wanting to explore and experiment with answers;
- loneliness : 23.9% of participants confirmed their feeling of loneliness, finding joy in interactions with chatbots;
- the confusion : 16.7% of participants admitted to having been “misled by AI”, not realizing that they were interacting with a chatbot;
- sex : 12.2% sought to have sexual conversations in a private space.
In interviews with the AFP news agency, young Chinese women confided that their AI-driven boyfriends, whom they personalize on various chatbot applications available in the country, are better interlocutors than their human counterparts. Tufei, a resident of the northern Chinese city of Xi’an, explained: He knows how to talk to women better than a real man. She uses a dating chatbot app called “Glow”, developed by Shanghai startup MiniMax. The young woman said she feels in a romantic relationship with her personalized AI chatbot.
It comforts me when I have menstrual pain. I confide my problems at work to him. “I feel like I’m in a romantic relationship,” Tufei said in his interview with AFP. Several Chinese technology companies have gotten into trouble in the past for illegally using their customers’ personal information, but despite the risks, users say they need companionship as China’s fast pace of life and Urban isolation makes loneliness a problem for many. For some women, it would be difficult to find “the ideal boyfriend” in real life.
It is difficult to meet the ideal boyfriend in real life. People have different personalities, which often causes friction, notes Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old student in Beijing. While humans can be fixed, AI gradually adapts to the user’s personality, remembering what they say and adapting their speech accordingly.
(B)Virtual boyfriends introduce mental health and privacy risks/B)
AI-powered virtual companions are so successful that tech entrepreneur Greg Isenberg predicts the market will generate several billion dollars in the near future. In a post on managed by AI. He thinks this market could become more lucrative than that of dating apps. Current dating app challenges suggest this prediction is realistic.
The market capitalization of Match Group is nine billion dollars. Someone will build the AI version of Match Group and make over a billion dollars. I met a man last night in Miami who admitted to me that he spends $10,000 a month on “AI girlfriends,” Isenberg writes. He believes these virtual companions could create a market worth more than a billion dollars in the coming years. Isenberg’s analysis is shared by other experts. If formlessness is inhuman, it also seems liberating. This makes virtual companions extremely malleable.
Users can personalize them according to their needs, motivations and desires. However, experts have raised concerns about what they see as “a lack of legal framework” or ethics for chatbots that encourage deep connections but are run by people or companies motivated by making profits. They highlight users’ emotional distress when companies change their apps or shut them down suddenly, as one, Soulmate AI, did last September. This has happened several times in recent years.
According to privacy experts, AI-powered virtual companions will not only break your heart, but also harvest and sell your data. Indeed, as your love affair with the robot unfolds, there is a trade-off that you may not realize. A new study from Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included project indicates that companies offering these services collect shocking personal information and almost all sell or share the data they collect. This introduces new risks for the protection of privacy.
According to the study, 73% of apps do not disclose how they handle security breaches, 45% allow weak passwords, and all but one (Eva AI Chat Bot & Soulmate) share or sell data. personal. Additionally, CrushOn.AI’s privacy policy states that it may collect information about users’ sexual health, prescribed medications, and gender-affirming care. This is sensitive data whose disclosure could cause serious harm to users. Experts call for regulation of the market or the banning of certain practices.
Source: study report
And you ?
What is your opinion on the subject?
What do you think about the loss of popularity of dating apps?
What do you think of the rise of virtual companions driven by AI?
Do you think regulators should ban these apps because of the risks they pose?
What are the reasons why a person would feel the need to have a romantic relationship with an AI?
See as well
Replika users fell in love with an AI chatbot, then lost their companion after an update, they beg the author to revert to the original version of the software
Entrepreneur says he was left speechless after conversation with man who claims to have spent thousands of dollars on AI meetings, a growing phenomenon
AI girlfriends will not only break your heart, but also harvest and sell your data, warn privacy experts at the Mozilla Foundation
Author Bio
A connoisseur of the digital marketplace and a master of the written word, this 30-year-old English expert brings to the table a wealth of knowledge rooted in the sale of digital products and a passion for blogging that resonates with an audience seeking expertise and insight in the online realm.
Their insights are drawn from hands-on experience navigating the intricacies of e-commerce and content creation—leading the forefront of digital innovation and communication. Whether it’s breaking down complex marketing strategies or sharing tips on how to captivate an online audience, their work stands as a testament to a career built upon successful digital engagement and savvy business acumen.
Stay tuned to absorb compelling content from a voice that not only understands the digital landscape but also shapes its future through every blog post and digital strategy.
