AI chatbots: dating coach tools and the debate over machine intelligence

Generative AI chatbots are increasingly used as dating assistants, offering profile feedback, conversation starters and message‑drafting tips. Hinge’s director of relationship science, Logan Ury, advises users to treat AI as a "wingman" rather than a "ghostwriter," emphasizing authenticity and personal interaction. Experts such as Erika Ettin and Jules White recommend limiting AI to proofreading and prompting users with specific, well‑structured questions to obtain useful, tailored advice.

At the same time, leading AI researchers argue that current large language models lack genuine intelligence. Yann Le Cun, former chief AI scientist at Meta, compares today's AI to a highly skilled parrot, noting it lacks self‑directed goals, common‑sense reasoning and embodied experience. He stresses that while AI can process vast amounts of data, it does not understand the physical world the way a cat or a human does, limiting its capacity for true problem‑solving.