It has all the trappings of a beach read turned Hollywood blockbuster: Smitten but shy boy meets girl and uses ChatGPT to supplement his romantic shortcomings. But just as she thinks he’s met The One, she realizes all is not as it seems and must choose between giving the man she thought she knew a second chance or fleeing his betrayal.
Working title: Knight in Shining AI-rmor.
We’ve seen this theme of insecurity-driven subterfuge repeatedly on page and screen, from Cyrano de Bergerac to Lady Glitter Sparkles. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
And yet a study from computer security company McAfee found nearly half of men are willing to take the risk: Nearly half (45%) are considering AI to write messages for Valentine’s Day 2024.
There’s an interesting dichotomy: While 69% of respondents said they’ve seen more and better responses from potential love interests when using AI-generated content, 64% distrust anyone who uses said content on their dating profiles—and 57% said they would be hurt or offended if they found out AI wrote their Valentine’s message.
As generative AI has expanded, we’ve used chatbots from OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and more to generate content ideas and to write blog posts, emails, poems and songs. But like using ChatGPT to write a college admissions essay, there are distinct risks to harnessing AI to play matchmaker. Namely: Your target will find out you didn’t really write anything and your efforts will backfire.
So, like Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is ChatGPT the virtual wingman we never knew we needed? Or are we better off flying solo?
I put the chatbot to the test with a series of Valentine’s Day queries to see if (hu)man or machine is better equipped to play Cupid.
First Query: Help me write a message to my valentine.
ChatGPT:
My Dearest [Valentine’s Name],
As Valentine’s Day dawns upon us, my heart swells with gratitude for the love we share. You are the light of my life, the melody to my soul’s song. In your…
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