In the fifth week of his experiment handing his life over to artificial intelligence, Rhik Samadder decided to let AI take the lead on a date. The result, he says, felt like an uncanny valley of conversational style.
Samadder, a self-described AI skeptic, began by asking the chatbot to write his dating profile. It produced: 'Creative type with nerd firmware and a fondness for novelty: new spots, odd museums, spontaneous plans, niche obsessions. Bring curiosity: I’ll bring the plot twists.' He matched with a woman, referred to as A, and was upfront about the experiment. She agreed to meet, noting that people often use AI in dating anyway.
The AI advised on attire—a turtleneck, dark jeans, and boots—and provided conversation prompts. Samadder copy-pasted lines into his Notes app, referring to them during the date. When he complimented her hair using AI-generated phrasing, she pointed out he used the word 'film' three times in a row. Later, when he attempted a line about a historical figure living in her area, she frowned.
Despite the awkwardness, A was good-natured, laughing that when Samadder said AI things, his legs looked shorter. She admitted that if she hadn't known about the experiment, she wouldn't have come. 'You sound like a therapist who’s been struck off,' she said. The pair ended up enjoying themselves while critiquing the AI-assisted personality.
Samadder concluded that while AI is great for choosing date ideas, relying on it for conversation comes at the cost of trusting oneself. 'Every day we stray further from God’s light, and are doomed,' he wrote.
