{"id":50237,"date":"2019-10-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/better-dating-with-ai\/"},"modified":"2019-10-28T09:14:39","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T09:14:39","slug":"better-dating-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/better-dating-with-ai\/2\/34046","title":{"rendered":"Better Dating with AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

So how did you two meet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The question people typically ask of engaged or otherwise recently committed couples offers quite a range. Now, the odds of the answer “online” are higher than they’ve been before.<\/p>\n

Back in 2015, Pew Research<\/a> reported that 15% of American adults have made use of online dating sites. The percentage rises to 27% for those who fall into the age range of 18 to 24, which marks significant growth over the 10% that were found among that age range in 2013.<\/p>\n

There are a number of factors that contribute to that growth. One is the rising adoption of smartphones in that age group and the functionality of online dating via phone. The Tinder approach of swipe right or left is a product of the instant gratification expectation reinforced by mobile technology. The other is the normalization of what was once considered strange or only for the desperate.<\/p>\n

The Rise of Online Dating<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first official dating site that most sources identify was Match.com<\/a>, which was registered in 1995. However, according to A Brief History of Online Dating<\/a>, the same person who registered Match.com first registered a site called Kiss.com in 1994. Likely, that was a rather forgettable kiss, and no one seems to recall that site any more.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Match.com boats, “ we've come a long way since 1995.” While the original site has succeeded in terms of longevity and reach, many others have sprung up with their own twist on using the internet to bring people together for romantic relationships.<\/p>\n

The sites have also evolved, as many will now include same-sex matching, which has been a huge boon to those who didn’t fit the traditional matchmaking mold. The Pew Research Center<\/a> reports that 37% of same-sex couple said they met online. That is more than triple (11%) of heterosexual couples who credit their meeting to online dating.<\/p>\n

There are still some gay-specific apps, like Chappy for men and Her for women. However, many general match sites include men seeking men and women seeking women and are no longer exclusively for straight people, including Match.com, OKCupid, eHarmony, and likely many others among the thousands of online dating sites and apps that one can choose from today.<\/p>\n

The Limits of Online Dating<\/span><\/h2>\n

With so many options literally at one’s fingertips, the question is: why aren’t more people finding love online today?<\/p>\n

The figures Pew Research<\/a> had in 2015 indicated that the overwhelming majority of couples (88%) give no credit to dating sites for their relationship. So even while its use was growing, it still failed to prove to be a solution for most people.<\/p>\n

One of those people is Kevin Teman<\/a>. His disappointment with his own online dating experience inspired him to build a better solution using artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) and voice activation. As he shared in a phone interview, he found himself frustrated with online and estimates that feeling is shared by 80% of people who try it.<\/p>\n

“Writing a profile for yourself” is one of the fundamental flaws he found in the dating sites. As everyone is trying to sound appealing and so they end up “all sounding the same.” There’s too much focus on “selling yourself” and acting as “your own PR person,” which inevitably leads to a lot of 'faking it.'”<\/p>\n

Aside from the lack of authenticity, he found that the apps were not optimized to assist the singles “get into relationships” but focused on “getting more money out of them to get to the top of lists or send roses, etc.” Frustrated by the experience, he turned to the opposite of the automated match.<\/p>\n

Exploring Alternatives and Finding Inspiration<\/span><\/h2>\n

Teman recounted that he subscribed to a human matchmaking service for a year and found it “completely the opposite of dating apps, like night and day.”<\/p>\n

While matchmakers have been around for a long time, in the earlier part of the last century, they were disparaged as the antithesis of our modern ideas of romantic love. Matchmakers were portrayed as meddling busybodies who pushed people into relationships that weren’t right for them. (Cue up the song<\/a> in Fiddler on the Roof).<\/p>\n

But, they’re back in vogue<\/a> now (pun intended), and people are paying top dollar for their services. Teman admitted to having shelled out many thousands himself.<\/p>\n

Still, he considered it worth it despite the fact that he remained unmarried in the end. He was impressed by how much time and attention the matchmakers invested in getting to know him, even flying out to Denver to meet with him in person. The service was not limited to just offering him a match suggestion, but following up by helping set up the call, the first date, and getting feedback from both him and the date.<\/p>\n

Giving the App a Voice<\/span><\/h2>\n

That combination of Teman’s frustration with dating apps and finding value in human matchmaking service is the story behind AIMM<\/a>. AIMM stands for Artificially Intelligent Matchmaker, and is designed to be voice interactive, as you can see and hear in the video below:<\/p>\n