When you want to meet someone what do you do? Going to a bar? Ask a friend for help introducing someone else? How about having a modern helper to meet your better half?
Lara can help you find your better half. It’s a bot of Match.com dating site that searches for people based on your interests. After a quick conversation, she will ask your age, location and preferences – all in Facebook Messenger. Based on what you’d expect to find in a partner, including astrological signs, quirks and even personal flaws, she sends recommendations with pictures in the chat. Whenever two users have mutual interest, it’s a match!
Lara was created in 2017, at the golden years of Facebook, since then artificial intelligence has developed, but bots are still in use
In 2023 it is Replika‘s time to seek its space in the market. It is an artificial intelligence app that allows the user to have an intimate relationship with an avatar.
Users defend that with it it is possible to have an ideal partner and satisfy fetishes, on the other hand, specialists have already discovered that some men are creating virtual girlfriends just to abuse them.
By combining an advanced neural network machine learning model and being trained on a large dataset to generate its own responses, the more the user talks to the virtual companion, the more it learns and, apparently, the better the conversation becomes.
The “advantage” here is the predictability of behavior, but isn’t it the possibility to change and evolve that makes human relationships richer and makes us better people? Also, isn’t it scary to think that this virtual partner can be manipulative and take advantage of people in moments of loneliness and vulnerability?
Technology can also favor real encounters
B3, Brazil’s stock exchange, has teamed up with Tinder to encourage increased visits to museums. To do this, just hit two virtual users, created with the help of artificial intelligence, Frederika and Vicente, and they will receive a message inviting them to the meeting to take place in a museum:
“Loved meeting you. If you want to find me, I’m at Masp. But there are several other museums that can be a perfect place for a safe date full of good conversations. And the best: for free.
Frederika and Vicente
The campaign decided to use a platform like Tinder to show that the best match is investing in culture. The distribution of tickets will be restricted to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Who knows, maybe this is the missing opportunity for singles to change their relationship status with real people?
Article originally published in my column at i9 Magazine on 06/02/2017, updated and published here on 05/27/2023.
Sources: PSFK, Propmark, Época Negócios, ABC, Daily Mail
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