November
15
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Dating in the Age of AI: If They’re Texting Like Shakespeare at 2 A.M., Should You Be Suspicious?
Dating has always been a blend of excitement, vulnerability, and guesswork. But today, there’s a new layer added to the romantic puzzle: artificial intelligence. As AI tools become more sophisticated, and more accessible, singles are increasingly wondering: Is the person I’m talking to actually that clever? Are their photos real? And what does “authentic” even mean anymore?
When AI Writes Better Than the Person Who Matched With You
We’ve all had those moments on dating apps: someone you matched with sends an incredibly witty, perfectly timed, highly polished message… that seems oddly out of character with the rest of their profile.
AI has given everyone access to perfect grammar, clever banter, and hyper-tailored conversation starters. That’s great for people who struggle to express themselves, but it also raises questions:
- Are you falling for them, or for their algorithmically generated charm?
- If the first message was AI-crafted, what about the tenth?
- Are they presenting who they are, or who they want to be?
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using AI to break the ice, but when AI becomes a filter that hides someone’s actual communication style, it creates a distorted first impression. The danger isn’t that AI helps someone express themselves, it’s that it often does the expressing for them.
The Photo Problem: When Every Jawline and Sunset Looks Suspicious
AI-generated (or heavily AI-enhanced) photos have made it much harder to know what someone actually looks like. Filters used to smooth skin and brighten eyes; now entire faces, bodies, backgrounds, and lighting can be invented from scratch.
Some signs a photo may be AI-generated or manipulated:
- Strange details around hands or ears
- Inconsistent lighting
- “Too perfect” facial symmetry
- Backgrounds that look like they were painted by a mildly distracted surrealist
In a world where a photorealistic digital version of yourself can be created in minutes, authenticity becomes harder to trust. But it also becomes more valuable.
What Is Real Anymore?
AI doesn’t destroy authenticity, it just forces us to define it more clearly.
Real isn’t about flawless selfies or perfectly crafted messages. Real is:
- A typo because someone wrote the message themselves
- A slightly awkward joke that actually reflects their sense of humor
- A candid photo where the lighting isn’t studio-perfect
- A conversation that grows naturally, not optimizes itself
As AI becomes fully woven into dating culture, people will likely become more aware, and more appreciative, of the imperfect, the spontaneous, and the human.
The Future of Dating: Not Hopeless, Just Different
AI will keep evolving, and so will dating. The important part is not to avoid AI entirely but to understand where its influence begins and where the person themselves steps in.
It may become normal, even expected, to ask:
- “Did you write that, or did ChatGPT write it for you?”
- “Are these photos you, or Midjourney you?”
The irony is that in a world full of AI-generated charm, authenticity may soon become the most attractive trait of all.
Cat, Heart London Magazine
Heart London Magazine 