Men use AI on dating apps to edit profile photos

AI aside, I'm not sure what the appeal is there, Marissa, a 31-year-old Boston resident, told CBS News regarding dating app profiles featuring digitally altered photos. Dating app users increasingly encounter artificial intelligence tools that manipulate images, alter clothing, and fabricate backgrounds, according to CBS News reporting.

Marissa and TikTok Users Spot Altered Dating Profiles

Marissa told CBS News that she regularly discovers dating app profiles featuring digitally altered or entirely generated images. She pointed to a specific instance on Bumble where a man’s profile displayed an AI-generated picture of him wearing a suit while tiling a bathroom wall. Numerous women on TikTok share similar findings, publishing accounts that demonstrate how artificial intelligence blurs the line between reality and digital manipulation in online dating.

People want authentic connections and conversations, Kathryn Coduto, an assistant professor at Boston University who studies dating apps, told CBS News in an email. I think AI has made people more wary and skeptical of others, especially people they don't know. Coduto noted that while dating app users have long relied on traditional filters, generative AI creates high-quality images and fabricated scenes within seconds, making it easier for users to enhance their appearance.

Lana Li Operates as a Digital Stylist for Dating App Users

Coduto added that men appear more likely to utilize artificial intelligence to spruce up their dating profiles compared to women because female users typically receive a higher volume of matches and messages. To combat this disparity, some male users hire digital stylists like Lana Li, a Brooklyn, New York, dating consultant who runs the Substack publication Love Me Like a Robot. Li uses artificial intelligence and FaceApp to adjust her clients’ outfits, hairstyles, and facial expressions, such as subtly lifting the corners of a mouth to look friendlier.

However, Li maintains certain boundaries. She declined a client’s request to place his head on a marathon runner’s body, telling CBS News, I can't work with you if you want to not represent yourself accurately. Two anonymous male clients confirmed to CBS News that they utilize AI for subtle profile updates, such as adjusting frizzy hair or donning professional garb via ChatGPT, without intending to catfish anyone.

Hinge Banned a User Over an AI Sunset Photo

Subtle edits can still trigger platform enforcement actions. A New York City resident in his 50s told CBS News that he used the headshot generator Aragon.ai to create a picture of himself standing on a Manhattan rooftop with a sunset background. Although the image generated his highest volume of likes on Hinge, the platform temporarily banned his account. He eventually recovered his profile but deleted the AI-generated sunset photo, suspecting it caused the removal.

Major dating platforms maintain strict policies against deceptive imagery. A Match Group spokesperson told CBS News that users demand transparency, authenticity, and confidence that a real person is communicating with them. Similarly, a Bumble spokesperson told CBS News that the company prohibits artificially generated or enhanced photos designed to deceive others, enforcing these rules through automated tools, human moderators, and member reporting, which can lead to permanent account bans.