The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in online dating is becoming increasingly common, with 23% of Americans using AI to help create photos or other content when dating online, according to a recent survey by McAfee.
However, while AI-generated content can be effective in attracting interest and responses, it also has implications for increased catfishing and romance scams. The survey found that one-third (31%) of Americans said their conversations with a potential love interest online turned out to be with a scammer.
Despite the effectiveness of AI-generated content, nearly two-thirds (64%) of survey respondents expressed distrust towards potential love interests who used AI-generated imagery and chat bots on their profiles.
Additionally, while 45% of men (and 39% of all adults) are contemplating using AI to pen a love letter, compared to 30% and 26% respectively last year, 57% of people said they would be hurt or offended if they found out AI wrote their Valentine’s message.
The rise of powerful, easy-to-use AI tools has complicated the online dating landscape, making it more difficult for users to identify AI-generated love messages.
Nearly half (46%) of Americans said they are unsure or don’t believe they could identify AI-generated love messages. This has led to an increase in Valentine-related scams, including Valentine-related malware campaigns (25% surge), malicious URLs (300% increase), and a variety of romance-themed spam and email scams (a staggering 400% increase), with the majority focused on Valentine’s shopping and gifts.
To protect themselves from online romance and AI scams, McAfee recommends that people scrutinize any direct messages they receive from a love interest, do a reverse-image search of any profile pictures the person uses, never send money or gifts to someone they haven’t met in person, talk to someone they trust about the new love interest, and invest in tools to help identify online scams.
McAfee’s portfolio of products includes innovative protection features, such as McAfee Scam Protection, that detects and protects users in real time from never-before-seen threats and scams.
Conclusion
Although it might be fun to use AI to provide a compelling love message, it would be best to think through the emotions of the message, add your own personality into it, and truly make it your own. Make it sound and feel like the one and only you!