Our research proves that people are confident in their ability to identify fake dating profiles, but is this confidence justified? When asked how confident they were in their ability to spot an AI-generated profile, nearly three in five (57%) of survey respondents said they could tell the difference between a real and fake profile.
However, the results tell us a different story. When participants were presented with 10 dating profiles - six real and four AI-generated - an average of 62% of people failed to identify the fake ones correctly. Even more worryingly, 22% of respondents didn’t believe any of the profiles were fraudulent, meaning nearly 5.1 million adults in the UK alone could be at risk of falling for an AI-created catfish.
This varied by age:
18-24-year-olds were the most confident in their AI-spotting abilities, but despite this, over 55% of them still failed to correctly identify AI-generated profiles.
The 55+ age group struggled the most, with 32% believing that all profiles were real. Thus, they were the most vulnerable to AI-driven deception.