Dating platform Bumble Inc. has introduced a new AI-based feature called ‘Deception Detector’ that is engineered to identify and eliminate spam, scam, and fake profiles from its platform. This initiative comes as a response to growing concerns among users over the genuineness of their online matches, with a survey conducted by the company showing that 46% of women feels the uncertainty of talking to authentic profiles is their principal worry in online dating.
“To help you feel confident while making new connections, Bumble has launched Deception Detector, harnessing artificial intelligence (A.I.) to weed out fake, spam, or scam profiles,” the company said in a blog. The Deception Detector leverages machine learning to scrutinize accounts, effectively blocking 95% of those flagged as potential spam or scam profiles during its testing phase. Bumble says that others will go through a verification process and those profiles under suspicion will be removed from the platform altogether.
The introduction of the Deception Detector is timely, considering the Federal Trade Commission’s report last year indicating that romance scams inflicted a staggering $1.3 billion in losses in 2022 alone, TechCrunch reported.
In addition to the Deception Detector, Bumble has been lately integrating AI to enhance user experience and safety. In 2019, its Private Detector feature leveraged AI to detect and blur unsolicited nude images in chats, giving users the choice to view or block such content. Both the Private Detector and Deception Detector tools are operational across Bumble’s platforms, including Bumble for Friends.
“With a dedicated focus on women’s experience online, we recognize that in the AI era, trust is more paramount than ever. We are being thoughtful about how to best use new models to reduce the anxiety of making connections and support our community, with AI standing as a main area of focus,” Bumble chief executive officer Lidiane Jones said and as reported by Mashable.
