84% of UK daters say AI has made online dating harder and less trustworthy, as growing scepticism pushes some users away from human-led dating and towards AI companions, according to new data.
This Valentine’s Day, verification and anti-fraud platform Sumsub warns that dating apps are being hollowed out by AI, as users doubt who they’re really interacting with.
In 2025 the dating industry1 was the joint top for rates of identity fraud (6.35%, tied with online media) and online romance scams tricked lonely hearts out of more than £100m stolen last year.
Modern widespread and powerful AI tools, like Google’s Nano Banana, have given experienced online fraudsters the means to almost perfect messages and images that can deceive even the savviest romantic.
AI is everywhere, powering new features for major dating platforms, like Tinder’s AI chat feature “The Game Game” and Hinge’s Convo Starters prompts. Likewise, users are embracing AI to stay ahead of the scammers that are powered by it.
AI’s slippery slope
- Over half (54%) are open to, or already using, AI to edit or create images of themselves for dating profiles - but,
- Nearly one in three UK dating app users (30%) say their dating experience has been negatively affected by receiving AI-generated content (compared to XXX the previous year), and
- More than a quarter of users (28%) say they are not confident in their ability to spot deepfakes or AI-manipulated profiles
AI has fundamentally changed online dating
AI is reshaping how people present themselves and communicate on dating apps, often in ways that users struggle to interpret or trust. Adoption of AI features is growing steadily even as trust and confidence falls.
- 32% of respondents use AI tools like ChatGPT to coach or write messages to potential partners - and yet,
- 61% of respondents have been deceived by fake profiles, or know a family member or a friend who has, and81% are worried about deepfakes becoming more commonplace
- 84% say AI-generated content has made it harder to trust people or date successfully, up 20 points in just one year (64% in 2025
- Over one third (36%) have used an AI companion as an alternative to dating apps
Demand for AI features on dating apps is strong, but tempered by the need for clearer regulation. Users are already proactively taking steps to attempt to verify their online matches (67%). It appears that while many are willing to accept AI-enhanced dating experiences with the appropriate guardrails in place, they are rightfully wary of being left to decide for themselves what’s real and what isn’t.
“Platforms have a clear responsibility to protect users without restricting how they choose to engage online,” said Nikita Marshalkin, Head of Machine Learning at Sumsub. “The response from the dating industry is going to be watched very closely by businesses in other sectors who are waking up to how basic verification checks can’t compete with the increasingly sophisticated methods scammers use today.
“Users can’t be blamed for using AI features offered to them, nor can they be expected to manage the resulting wave of AI content without support. A blanket ban isn’t the answer, but without exhaustive governance and improved user awareness around deepfakes and misleading content, online dating will soon become more trouble than it’s worth.”
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Survey validity
The research comes from a survey of 2,000 people in the UK aged 18 and over who currently, or have in the last 18 months, used dating apps or online dating platforms. The survey took place between 28.01.2026 - 04.02.2026.
It was conducted by Censuswide, who abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.
1From Sumsub’s 2025 Identity Fraud Report, findings based on analysis of 4,000,000+ fraud attempts, alongside survey data from 300+ fraud and risk professionals and 1,200+ end-users
