Finding love in the digital age has gone, well, digital. The Kaspersky study on the impact of technology on relationships and dating found that 54% of users in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region would trust the matchmaking choice of AI, 10 points higher than the global average of 44%.

Algorithm is now playing an important role in every aspect of people’s online lives. And artificial intelligence (AI) getting mainstream helps in gaining the trust of some of the respondents when it comes to the use of technology.

The study of the cybersecurity solutions firm saw that almost the majority (69%) of the respondents noted that the recommendations of the algorithms fully correspond to their preferences, a tad higher than the world’s view at 64%.

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“The results of our research show that many people positively perceive the introduction of AI into dating applications and that it can make it easier for many to find a suitable match,” said David Jacoby, security researcher at Kaspersky. “Smart algorithms analyze users’ interests, preferences, and swipes, to recommend suitable candidates based on them. At the same time, despite the benefits and possibilities of recommendation services, you should always be vigilant and remember that we cannot know for sure who is on the other side of the screen.”

Algorithms

The study found more than half (62%) of the respondents from APAC agree that dating apps, in general, have made the process much easier. However, 58% would only meet with matches who the algorithm recommends to them.

“If we are honest, digitalization and its possibilities only change the search for true love and not true love itself,” said therapists Birgitt Hölzel and Stefan Ruzas from the Munich practice Liebling + Schatz. “Technologies, such as artificial intelligence, make it possible to search more precisely, quickly, and easily. It minimizes risks. And that’s important because dating apps are all about finding your perfect partner. That’s why we are so willing to let artificial intelligence help us. It does valuable preliminary work — right up to the first meeting.

While respondents trust AI when it comes to matchmaking, 57% of those surveyed remain cautious when making life-changing decisions. And 43% of respondents don’t exactly agree and find that algorithms dehumanizing.