Online matchmaking is a billion-dollar industry, with around half of all people under 30 having used a dating site or app, compared to 37% of those aged 30 to 49, and 20% of those aged 50 to 64. The statistics make perfect sense in a society that utilizes AI daily to work, requests information from voice assistants like Siri, and relies on GPS systems to get us around.
Surely meeting someone special is as important (if not more so) than any of these goals. The online dating scene is not without its downside, though… safety and inadequate matching systems are just two bugbears some users have had to contend with. The good news is that new technologies have stepped in to make the online gaming experience more entertaining, safer, and more effective.
AI and AR for Advanced Matching
Artificial intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) are two technologies that go hand in hand perfectly to help users find matches who won’t waste their time and who align with their interests. AI is already being used to study user behavior and preferences to suggest ideal profiles. AR, meanwhile, can generate immersive experiences that allow users to connect and communicate and work out whether it’s worth taking things to the next level.
An example of this type of technology is Badoo’s facial recognition feature, which allows users to find dates who resemble someone they are interested in via facial recognition technology. It’s a fantastic way to find someone one is likely to be attracted to! Of course, some users prefer to be surprised and jump straight into the fray. These users often use services that randomly match them up with others via InstaCams, which can be quite fun considering the fact that users can hail from all over the world!
Blockchain
One of the scariest things about online dating is catfishing—fake online personas who prey upon others’ vulnerabilities and aim to garner their interest and/or material benefits by falsifying information about themselves. In steps blockchain, a fantastic way to ensure you are only dealing with users with verified identities.
These identities remain safe in the blockchain, which only the users themselves have access to. While blockchain is relatively new in the dating scene, numerous apps already rely on it to connect users securely. These include Viola.AI, Luxy, Hickey, Matchpool, and Pinder.
DNA Matchmaking
Have you seen the sci-fi series The One yet? It’s based on John Marr’s 2016 novel of the same name, and it explores a dystopian world where a company seeks to find people’s perfect matches using DBA testing. The concept is based on an experiment conducted by Claus Wedekind in 1995, which found that women preferred the scents of T-shirts worn by men whose major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes were different to their own. The study supports the idea that evolution has equipped people with the ability to detect genetic compatibility in potential partners. Today, online users can use the app, DNA Romance, developed by Dr. Tim Sexton. It matches people up with profiles that are different from their own! The idea is that people with opposite MHC genes have a higher romantic chemistry because it genetic variances allow the human population to survive.
The online dating has now become safer and more effective thanks to advances in technology. AI, AR, and DNA matchmaking are narrowing searches for one’s perfect match. DNA matchmaking, meanwhile, may hold one of the secrets to survival of the species!
