AI in App* ... social impact?
Artificial Intelligence in Applications... [completely non-technical and non-IT thoughts].
Let's be honest, this is nothing new and such functionalities are being introduced. Better fit or better parameterization.
But also better interference in the application to force users to pay. And this much can be said about the applications themselves. Oh, I forgot to write what applications this discussion is about, dating applications.
So we have classic user accounts who search the database and receive results based on the query, and the next step is the chat function and data sharing. The further initiative is definitely outside the app. That is, the classic analog world of interpersonal contacts.
The first versions of such applications were actually intended to help digitize access for the so-called matrimonial offices. Marriage agencies were basically supposed to help a given person - especially if he or she was from a smaller town. What was unique and what marriage agencies offered was the ability to match people based on observations of behavior, psychology and natural reactions. (Matrimonial agencies are coming back - they are rare and exclusive, but they are coming back).
The digital version of matchmaking has evolved into something completely different. Organizing dates with complete strangers... with the mistaken belief that such people are compatible with each other. After several such attempts, many people realized that such applications only cause frustration and lower self-esteem. Generally, people have good intentions, but if after over 1 year of using the application you are still unable to find the right person and your account is charged 12x the payment for the premium service, then this should raise questions about the effectiveness of such an application.
And as many people noticed early on, dating apps are a business, not a charity. The owner of the application has no interest in matching people quickly and effectively because he loses revenue on such clients (at least 2 clients because it is a mutual service - you need to match 2 people). So such a service must be extended or offered additional bonuses so that such an application can continue to function. We're talking about honest business here.
But there is a dark side to such applications. Many of the people are not real and the accounts are artificially created to attract attention. Verification mechanisms were already enough to slightly filter the number of users and reduce revenues. Then there were regulations regarding the processing of personal data, consent to maintain data, etc., which was another element of the decline in revenues.
Of course, such applications advertise themselves differently or have different lofty ideas behind them, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but every reason is good for making money.
Today I noticed (again, this post has been circulating for a good 10 years!) that people are still liking and interested in this story. I think everyone knows which company I'm talking about... "the woman initiates contact". I took a look at the operational data... wow, over 2.3 million users who pay premium, i.e. over $20 per month. But there are over 50 million occasional users. This shows that less than 5% of people pay for the application.
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The recent trend is that revenues are falling due to changing user behavior. Users cancel their subscription or abandon the application. As a result, the company has recently reduced over 350 people.
And hence this post, today I started wondering where they wanted to put this AI. It is quite easy to parameterize men because a man is a "simple tool". But parameterizing women won't be easy for AI.
The variability of women will probably mean that the results will be completely different from expectations and the revenues from them will disappear even faster.
In the classic case of morning applications:
I have no idea how AI can take into account contradictory, mutually exclusive parameters. Although it could also go in another direction. Perhaps, based on AI, people will be forced into certain relationships based on statistical data, and then there will no longer be free will.
Summary:
Cultural and social changes accelerate processes that will not help in creating a family: indoctrination and the influence of the media, including dating applications. The paradox is that they were supposed to speed up and help create relationships. I was also surprised, but when I saw that this business generates over PLN 3 billion in revenue, everything became clear. These are only apparent intentions - there is only one goal - to make money from people's emotions and dreams.
It is becoming more and more understandable that many people will go abroad to distant countries to have a family - the so-called passport bro. In many countries this is becoming standard. And this is probably proof that digitization of all spheres of life is a bad idea for society.
And let me just remind you, for those who don't know, the initial idea of a certain portal on letter F was a ranking of people from the university with photos and an annotation from 1-10 whether this person is date-able. Letter F had originally different meaning...
And finally, a real description found on the Internet - correspondence between application's users. She to him: You have been using this application for 10 years. And you didn't find anyone? And then she realized that on this application she was in exactly the same situation as him and paid hundreds of $ ... to be here.
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