Bumble is asking its users to help keep the dating app free from AI-generated profiles. On Tuesday, the company introduced a new reporting option that enables members to report profiles if they suspect someone could be using AI-generated photos and videos.
Now when a user wants to report a profile, they can choose “Fake profile” and then select the option “Using AI-generated photos or videos.” Other reporting options include inappropriate content, underage users, scams and the use of someone else’s photos, among others.
Bumble’s new reporting option arrives at a time when, unfortunately, AI-generated photos on dating apps are common, and are often used to scam or deceive others. With the click of a button, you can catfish matches into thinking you own a yacht and have chiseled abs. Bumble hopes the new reporting option will help deter people from being disingenuous using AI.
“An essential part of creating a space to build meaningful connections is removing any element that is misleading or dangerous,” Bumble’s vice president of product, Risa Stein, said in a statement to TechCrunch. “We are committed to continually improving our technology to ensure that Bumble is a safe and trusted dating environment. By introducing this new reporting option, we can better understand how bad actors and fake profiles are using AI disingenuously so our community feels confident in making connections.”
The new reporting option follows Bumble’s launch of an AI tool called “Deception Detector,” which uses AI and human moderation to detect and remove fake profiles, spammers and scammers. Since launching the feature in February, Bumble claims member reports of spam, scams and fake profiles decreased by 45%. Bumble also has an AI-powered “Private Detector” tool that automatically blurs nude photos.
While Bumble is fighting AI-generated profiles, the company’s founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, has some interesting ideas for the technology. During an interview, Herd said that the future of online dating could be where AI “dating concierges” or assistants go on hundreds of dates on your behalf to find the perfect match. We’re not sure how many people will be on board with that idea, but to each their own.