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Tinder Wants AI To Set You Up On a Date (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.

Dave Lee, writing for BBC: Tinder is growing up. It's now a serious technology company tackling one of life's most important matters, and is by far the most popular dating app worldwide. After a lot of boardroom musical chairs, Mr Rad is the chairman of both Tinder and Swipe Ventures, the arm of the company designed to buy other dating-related technologies. One of which is artificial intelligence. And its collision with dating might be the most intriguing application of AI yet. "I think this might sound crazy," Mr Rad said on Tuesday at tech conference Start-Up Grind. "In five years time, Tinder might be so good, you might be like "Hey [Apple voice assistant] Siri, what's happening tonight?' "And Tinder might pop up and say 'There's someone down the street you might be attracted to. She's also attracted to you. She's free tomorrow night. We know you both like the same band, and it's playing -- would you like us to buy you tickets?'... and you have a match. "It's a little scary."

10 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. No shit? by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Let me make sure I got this right....a dating app wants to set me up on a date?

    Wow, talk about finding novel uses unrelated to the original functionality, what motherfucking super genius came up with this brain-busting idea of using a DATING APP to set people up with DATES?

    What's next, using a washing machine to clean your clothes?

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  2. spam article - get this ad off slashdot by iggymanz · · Score: 3, Interesting

    could we please not have slashdot articles that are merely ads for crap products?

  3. Dating culture needs to change first by Baron_Yam · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People are the problem, not the match-making system.

    So long as people are willing to lie and manipulate to get laid or married, so long as they have unrealistic expectations and get vindictive when they're not met, there won't be an AI-managed dating app that will handle matchmaking well.

    Anyway, the only matchmaking test you need is "do you find this person who is within a reasonable distance at least marginally attractive and have a shared activity you'd participate in together at least once?". The rest is bullshit.

  4. Re:Read between the lines by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Until we develop an AI that can read between the lines honestly good luck with that

    I don't think most people can even read between the lines, and especially men when it comes to women.

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  5. What would an AI actually do? by timholman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Based on how I've seen most people use Tinder, a truly advanced artificial intelligence would simply connect them to a local escort service.

    1. Re:What would an AI actually do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I have moderator points to burn and would mod you up but I'd much rather add to what you have to say here.
      For those of you who have never used Internet dating sites (especially the free ones), they're full of prostitutes and fake accounts that exist just to lure men to pay porn sites. A large fraction of the women who are not prostitutes or fake accounts, don't seem particularly interested in getting involved with anyone, they're just there for the attention ("Look at me, look at me! I'm so awesome! YOU CAN'T HAVE ME, but LOOK AT ME!"). I'd estimate maybe 5% or so of the women you'd find on a dating site are legit -- and frankly, maybe 1 out of ten (or less) are anyone you'd want to have anything to do with anyway. Internet dating sites are more or less the last resort for the desperate, and as such not worth anyones' time.

      Now, you're going to try to create a so-called 'AI' to set you up with a date? LOL, that's a train wreck even before it happens. Even human beings have problems weeding out the liars and you expect some half-assed machine intelligence to do a better job? Don't waste your time. Besides which, anyone using Tinder isn't looking for a 'relationship', they're looking for attention and for quick sex. Therefore this is the dumbest idea I've heard yet on the subject of so-called 'AI'. You'd do just as well closing your eyes and throwing a dart at a wall full of profile pics.

  6. I can see it now. by nimbius · · Score: 4, Funny

    siri: there are 20 eligible singles in your area you should consider! shall I set up a date?
    me: *loads up the Gentoo homepage*
    siri:...oh....

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  7. This is how AI is supposed to work! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Funny

    We know all the scenarios where AI fucks us over, it's about time we heard about the scenarios where AI gets us fucked. ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  8. Re:How is this news? by PPH · · Score: 5, Funny

    That doesn't turn out well

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. Re:do you want to get mugged behind a bar? by Salgak1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I beg to differ. That's where I met my wife, 20 years ago. I have a number of friends who met their spouse online. I even know a couple who met online BEFORE the Net, on CompuServe.

    There are real women, and real men, on the net. But you generally need to be a decent person to connect with them . . . .