‘They did actually feel real’: When a dating app uses AI personas but advertises itself as fully human
AI company Anthropic has exposed a China-based studio operating over 20 dating apps that use AI personas to deceive users. While the apps are marketed as human-led, most profiles are AI-generated, and real people are only hired to conduct video calls to maintain the illusion.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing issue of AI-driven fraud and the ethical challenges of transparency in digital social platforms.
AI company Anthropic uncovered a China-based studio running more than 20 dating app variants for US users, where three in four profiles were AI and real people were hired mainly for video calls.
AI company Anthropic uncovered a China-based studio running more than 20 dating app variants for US users. Most of the profiles were not people at all, but AI personas - even though the service was advertised as fully human. (Photo: iStock/Tero Vesalainen)
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