Erika Ettin

The integration of generative AI into the romantic sphere is shifting from a novelty to a functional utility and, increasingly, a business model. While dating apps have long relied on matching algorithms to curate potential partners, users are now deploying Large Language Models (LLMs) to manage the social engineering of the dating process-from profile optimization to the real-time decoding of interpersonal communication.

This transition introduces a tension between algorithmic efficiency and human authenticity. As AI becomes a mediator in early-stage attraction, the risk of “digital catfishing” grows, not through fake photos, but through a synthesized personality that the user cannot maintain in a physical setting. It also raises questions for regulators and platforms about where useful coaching ends and deceptive design begins.

The Boundary Between Assistance and Deception

Industry experts suggest that the utility of AI in dating is highest when it functions as a strategic advisor rather than a proxy. Logan Ury, the director of relationship science at the dating app Hinge, notes that while the tools change, “what we’re searching for stays the same.” To maintain the integrity of a potential connection, Ury argues that AI should be like your wingman rather than your ghostwriter because “when you show up on that date, it’s very important that who your match meets is the person who they’ve been talking to online.”

The distinction lies in whether the AI is refining the user’s existing voice or replacing it entirely. Using generative AI to iterate on date ideas or polish a profile is widely viewed as a legitimate use of the technology, whereas fabricating messages, using AI-generated imagery or inventing biographical details creates a fundamental disconnect-one that may clash with emerging rules on transparency and manipulated media in consumer platforms.

Dating coach Erika Ettin advocates for an even stricter boundary, suggesting that AI’s role should be limited to proofreading or light editing. She emphasizes that authenticity must take precedence over a polished digital facade. “All I ask is for people to put their own thought and critical thinking in first, and then if they’re going to use AI to check something, it’s after they have already formulated an opinion,” Ettin said.

Engineering Emotional Intelligence Through Prompting

The efficacy of AI as a romantic coach is heavily dependent on prompt engineering. Vague inputs typically result in generic, “hallmark-style” advice that lacks the nuance required for complex human emotions. Jules White, the director of Vanderbilt University’s initiative on the future of learning and generative AI, suggests that the goal is not merely word choice, but learning how to “yield this computational thought effectively to solve problems.”

To move beyond generic responses, users are encouraged to turn the chatbot into an interviewer. By prompting the AI to ask questions one at a time until it has sufficient context, the user creates a dynamic feedback loop that mimics a real coaching session and can surface blind spots rather than simply confirming a first instinct.

For those seeking deeper psychological insight, Matt Shumer, a general partner at investment firm Shumer Capital, recommends using AI to stimulate critical thinking rather than seeking a direct script. He suggests instructing the bot to “help me get there on my own.” When dealing with ambiguous messages from a match, Shumer advises: “Help me understand the nuance, how they might be thinking about it, what the right way to respond is, but don’t give me the answer.” In practice, that turns the model into a reflective tool, closer to a journaling aid than a remote-controlled avatar.

Algorithmic Sycophancy and the Risk of Bias

A critical technical limitation of current LLMs is “sycophancy”-the tendency of a model to align its answers with the perceived preferences or biases of the user. In a relationship context, this can create a dangerous echo chamber. If a user presents only their side of an argument, the AI is likely to validate their perspective, reinforcing a biased narrative rather than providing objective mediation or encouraging accountability.

Liesel Sharabi, director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University, warns against over-reliance on these tools for conflict resolution. While providing a balanced set of information can mitigate some bias, it is not a complete solution. “Hopefully, if you were having a problem in your relationship you wouldn’t make all of your decisions based on what one friend told you, right? Don’t do that with AI either – use it as one data point among many,” she said.

Beyond the psychology of the interaction, the data privacy implications are significant. Feeding intimate conversations and personal vulnerabilities into a cloud-based AI can expose sensitive data to data processing frameworks governed by regimes such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which allow certain uses of personal data for service improvement and, in some cases, model training. Depending on how clearly platforms disclose those uses, users may have an incomplete picture of how their romantic lives are being logged, profiled and potentially repurposed.

AI Implementation in Dating: Risk and Utility Mapping

As the industry evolves, the focus is shifting toward formal AI safety and trust frameworks and the development of “emotional intelligence” layers within models-safeguards that can, in theory, detect manipulation, nudge users away from harassment or abuse and flag risky data-sharing behavior. For policymakers, the romantic use case is becoming a live testing ground for broader questions about disclosure, consent and accountability in consumer AI.

However, the fundamental challenge remains: the more an AI optimizes a human for the dating market-nudging them toward the most clickable version of themselves-the further that human may drift from the authentic self that is required to sustain a long-term relationship. For users, platforms and regulators alike, the next phase of AI-assisted romance will hinge less on what the technology can do, and more on what boundaries they are willing to enforce.