Relationships

OkCupid is testing ChatGPT questions to provide users of its app, harnessing the popular AI technology for itself.

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, with millions of people testing its writing skills, so naturally daters are using it to chat with their matches over dating apps. OkCupid has often analyzed user behavior and preferences to choose new features to add, so now the dating app is sharing that it’s been sending out questions formulated not by people, but by the popular AI ChatBot.

According to Tech Crunch, the six questions generated by ChatGPT have already been answered more than 135,000 times, mostly by Gen Z users. In fact, 31 percent of Gen Z users on OkCupid said they don’t think that using AI to create a profile or message someone on a dating app is a violation of trust, according to Mashable.

The questions introduced by ChatGPT include:

A new Pew study has found that over half of dating app users (53 percent) said that their experiences have been at least somewhat positive, including 14 percent who said they had very positive experiences. About 46 percent say their experiences on dating apps have been at least somewhat negative, showing the dating population is divided on how well the platforms are working for them.

While 53 percent shows that more than half of daters have had positive experiences, dating apps have a long way to go in satisfying their customer base, as some users reported facing harassment or scams, according to the report. Peoples’ experiences also vary by race, gender and ethnicity, as well as household income and sexual orientation.

Pew reported that 57 percent of men report positive experiences compared to 48 percent of women, and 61 percent of LGB users have had positive experiences compared to only 53 percent of straight users.

Representatives from dating app companies alongside ministers, victim-survivors, government officials and technology companies attended a roundtable in Sydney to discuss safety measures needed for dating apps. They discussed adding background checks and ID verification requirements, as well as increasing transparency and sharing of data between dating app companies.

According to The Guardian, Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that “there’s no one law that’s going to fix this issue,” placing the burden of responsibility on dating app companies.

The talks were led by federal communications minister, Michelle Rowland and included representatives for popular dating apps such as Bumble and Tinder. She noted the talks were an “important first step,” according to The Guardian. The roundtable was convened after a report from the Australian Institute of Criminology found that three quarters of survey respondents had been subjected to sexual violence on dating apps in the last five years.

Image: Bumble & Netflix

Dating app Bumble has teamed up with leading streaming service Netflix to launch a game that is themed around some of its most popular shows, including Emily in Paris, Squid Game, Selling Sunset, and Stranger Things, among others.

According to Netflix’s blog post, the new game called Netflix Nights In will challenge matches to find out how deep their knowledge goes about their favorite shows by answering questions like: “How much was Davina’s infamous listing in Selling Sunset?” In a twist, the game requires matches to answer the question before responses are revealed, and both will be able to see their compatibility based on their answers.

Stars from fan favorites like Ashley Park from Emily in Paris or Jonathan Daviss from Outer Banks will present new questions each week in the app, according to Netflix.

Image: OkCupid

A new study by OkCupid found that 87 percent of its female users are pro-choice, and about half (49%) said that a date’s differing opinion on abortion would make them think twice about dating them. The company noted that more than one million users added the “I’m Pro-Choice” badge to their profiles.

OkCupid also found that views on abortion were more polarizing than competing views on politics (where 30% said they would think twice about dating someone with different views). And last year, 72 percent of women said they would not move to a state where abortion was illegal, and 37 percent said they would move out of their state if abortion became illegal there.

The new study comes as the landmark ruling of Roe v Wade would have turned 50 this year. It was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June of last year, which removed federal protections for those receiving and providing abortions. Since then, many states have opted to place severe restrictions on who can access abortion care, with some banning the practice outright. Texas enacted some of the most extreme anti-abortion laws, rewarding people for turning in to authorities anyone who assists a woman in getting an abortion.

Dating app Hinge has introduced a $60 per month subscription plan for “highly motivated daters,” offering the app’s most premium service for a hefty price tag.

The new plan will offer subscribers more exposure and better recommendations for potential matches, according to Bloomberg who broke the story. For example, top-tier subscriber “likes” will be seen before others’ likes, giving them quicker access to people who interest them.

The new tier pricing almost doubles the cost of the existing premium service of $35 per month, but is still well below matchmaking rates, which run thousands of dollars per month. The new plan was mentioned in an earnings call in November, and while the company confirms it will be launching, it has not been officially announced.