Hinge user questions whether ‘weird’ profiles on dating app are AI bots: ‘What is going on?’

‘If online dating wasn’t difficult enough’ wrote one critic on social media

If dating wasn’t hard enough, it appears that profiles rumoured to be generated by artificial intelligence have popped up on dating apps like Hinge.

On 7 May, Vox journalist Rebecca Jennings (@rebexxxxa) went viral on Twitter when she shared screenshots of “weird” dating profiles that her friend came across while scrolling through Hinge. The dating app allows users to showcase their personality by answering prompts.

But when one Hinge user noticed a recurring answer on several men’s profiles, it led her to question whether the profiles were created by AI.

“My friend has been noticing something weird on Hinge: men who write ‘I like everything about culture’ in their bios,” Jennings captioned the tweet. “What is this? Are they bots? Is it AI? Why are they all named Andy????? Please someone tell us what is going on.”

In the tweet, Jennings included three screenshots of the alleged AI profiles. Although the profiles appeared to be photos of different men, they were all named Andy and each answered the question, “A random fact I love is…” with, “I like everything about culture.”

In a separate post, she wondered who was behind the supposed bots creating fake dating profiles.

“If they are indeed bots, what is the process of making them? Who is behind it and what are they possibly getting out of this?! My friend sometimes tries talking to them but they stop responding like immediately so if it’s for scamming, seems like theyre bad at it???” she added.

Since it was shared on Sunday, the tweet has received nearly three million views on Twitter as fellow users shared their theories about the weird dating profiles.

“My theory is hinge is secretly hiring third party companies to flood the app with bots to boost their active user numbers,” claimed one person.

“Definitely bots. I saw several profiles that had a very specifically worded prompt answer, ‘watch movies, go shopping, hang out with friends,’” another user said. “Feel like I’ve been seeing more and more of that rote, stilted language on there. Weird translation issues?”

A third person wrote: “Idk if these are fake specifically but dating apps DO have fake accounts with attractive people they use to keep people hooked on the app. The conversations will be very brief and go nowhere, but it’s enough to keep people from throwing out the whole app.”

Others were simply disheartened to learn that online dating has potentially become more difficult with the invention of AI.

“Terrifying,” replied one user.

“Eugh, if online dating wasn’t difficult enough,” another said.

Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time artificial intelligence has been used to help people find their perfect love match. Stefan-Pierre Tomlin, a 32-year-old model from Hertfordshire, claimed he was the “most swiped right man” on Tinder in 2017. Now, he’s using Chat GPT and AI tech to coach others into getting matches.

His subscription-based service, called Celebrity Love Coach, uses ChatGPT and AI to write attractive dating profiles and messages. The service also lets users “subtly tweak” their profile photos, but Tomlin claimed “it’s not cheating”.

“You use a dishwasher to make your home life easier – my clients use AI and our training to make their dating lives more for a fulfilling, long-lasting connection,” he said. “We change people’s pictures and bespoke their bios. Most people say it’s catfishing – it’s not.”

Last year, a man was able to date 49,000 women in New York City at the same time after creating an AI program that sent women messages using only quotes from American Psycho and James Bond movies.

The Independent has contacted Hinge for comment.