Emerging technologies have meant that, when it comes to finding love, it’s not as simple as swiping right anymore. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, an increasing number of singletons are going online in the hopes of finding their perfect partner.
According to Statista, dating apps continue to boom, with 366 million individuals currently using online dating app services. What’s more, the study also predicts that by 2025, this figure will increase to 440 million users worldwide. An influx of dating apps, including Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, Plenty of Fish and more, have meant many founders are looking to new-age technologies and methods of meeting matches to help separate themselves from the rest. We take a look at some innovations that are both in existence and the beta stages of the modern dating era.
Metaverse dating
You read it correctly: dating in an alternate universe using an avatar is happening. Immersive first dates whereby animated personas can walk up to someone in a virtual bar have become one of the latest ways to find your perfect match. Instead of swiping right, users can access that person’s profile before striking up a conversation. Experts say this is a convenient, informative way of talking to someone before meeting in real life. Some of the most popular metaverse dating apps currently on the market include VR Chat and Second Life.
Dating GPT
Otherwise known as ChatGPT, many singletons are availing of the free-to-use AI system to write online biographies and interact with potential suitors. Recent advances in the GPT sphere have resulted in the generation of human-like text that is so conversational even daters can’t distinguish whether a bot writes introductions, or not!
AI-powered dating assistants
One of the very latest technologies to emerge in helping people find their match is the AI-powered dating assistant. Similar to GPT, they use algorithms to help users create tailored dating profiles to enhance their strengths and get virtual conversations going. One such platform is LoveGenius. The site claims to help users achieve five times the success rate with their profiles by automatically writing them for users. Another rather helpful development is apps that use verification technology. Iris Dating is one such app that works off an AI-powered system to help mitigate catfishing and fake profiles. It claims to increase the chances of mutual attraction by over forty times.
Ever so slightly vain, it uses stock images to help you find your “type” and instantly matches you with selfie-verified potentials so that you can find your match more effectively.
VR date coaching – Valentine’s day
For those looking to date with minimal effort or for those with social anxiety, VR date coaching looks to be a popular solution. One of the better-known platforms that help users navigate the dating scene and strive for success is Foretell Reality. The platform has partnered with relationship coaches to train users and guide them through a new era of finding romance. Users are helped to create profiles and are advised on dates and connectivity in the modern world. This is to help equip users to present fully realized versions of themselves in a VR world. Singletons avail of advice before finding themselves in virtual meeting rooms, allowing them to interact with others virtually before meeting in person. It also provides them with tips on succeeding in the future should things not go as planned.
Double dating apps
Another cool development in dating innovation is apps that specialise in double-dating. Singletons may breathe a sigh of relief as there are some platforms that automatically help users and their friends match in pairs. One of the most popular in existence is Fourplay. Billing itself as more of a social app for daters, users can team up with a friend and meet like-minded individuals, making it a more secure way of meeting your match with less expectations. It’s also been credited with helping people to make friends, love lives aside!
QR code fuelled dating
Dinner dating apps are other innovations that have come into focus as of late. One talked about yet not implemented innovation in dating is ‘date scanning.’ Although the concept is still being explored by tech companies, it aims to enable single people to enter premises and scan a dedicated QR code within an app. This will then show all other users within the same restaurant who are single and open to dating. Users can digitally invite others to join them, with the recipient having the ability to accept or reject such requests. Although still a budding concept, it aims to eliminate all the texting and fake personas in existence through connecting people over the dinner table in real life. That’s what I call the pièce de résistance!
