COMPUTER IN LOVE: HOW A NEW GENERATION OF AI-POWERED DATING APPS IS CHANGING THE DATING WORLD, TRENDS AND PROSPECTS

Thesis background The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into various aspects of human life has led to significant transformations in social interactions. This study focuses on a novel phenomenon: the emergence of AI-based dating applications where users form emotional connections with artificial entities. Thesis objective This study explores the phenomenon of human–AI relationships from the perspective of communication. We will analyze how such applications are positioned on the market and how they are actually used by audiences, examining which dating-related needs they aim to fulfill. We will closely study their interfaces and investigate the communicative structure of user–AI interaction, including language behavior, dialogue scenarios, and levels of emotional involvement. Special attention will be paid to how AI bots simulate human responses: whether they use empathetic expressions, adapt to the user’s style of communication, and whether they are capable of sustaining long-term quasi-romantic engagement. We will also examine the degree of personalization: how well the system remembers previous conversations, whether it adapts its character and behavior, and how that affects the user's sense of trust and attachment. Thus, the objective of this work is to provide a comprehensive study of a new form of digital intimacy - the relationship between a human and an AI as a distinct type of communicative interaction, emerging at the intersection of technology, psychological need, and the evolving culture of love in the 21st century. Thesis structure This thesis consists of two major chapters: theoretical and practical. The first chapter presents a review of academic literature and previous relevant studies concerning communication between humans and artificial intelligence, digital intimacy, and the social implications of AI in everyday life. Particular attention is given to contemporary theories of AI companionship, the phenomenon of simulated relationships, and the ethical and sociological issues that arise from emotional connections between humans and machines. The practical part is based on a comprehensive analysis of the AI-based dating app market. The study employs the walkthrough analysis method — a step-by-step investigation of the interface, usage scenarios, and communicative logic of the applications. This analysis covers aspects such as the visual representation of AI partners, dialogue structure, types of proposed interactions, and mechanisms of personalization. A central component of the practical chapter is an empirical experiment in which the author becomes an active user of three different AI dating applications over the course of two weeks. A diary-based approach is used to document the nature of interactions, AI communication styles, levels of emotional involvement, and subjective user reactions. The collected data are analyzed in light of the theoretical models identified in the first chapter, allowing for conclusions about the specificity and potential of digital relationships between humans and artificial intelligence.