Japan Using AI as Matchmaker
By Joshua Chung | July 9, 2021
In order to combat low birth rates and an aging population, the Japanese government has invested $19.2 million into AI technology that would aid in matchmaking for Japanese citizens. The hope is that this artificial intelligence would increase dating and therefore birthrate by providing compatible matches based on the hobbies, interests, values of users. Individual prefectures have been offering matchmaking services for a few years, however, these simplistic algorithms have not been very effective so far. Using AI for matchmaking is common amongst online dating services, which is the most commonly used method of meeting potential love interests in the US. however, the key differences lie in the autonomy of the user and the authority of the matchmaker.
Unlike online dating services which allow users to look through the list of potential suitors and notifying users of their match when there is a mutual interest, the government’s dating service is designed to give matches solely based on the algorithm’s recommendation. This prevents users from being able to have any input in the decision-making process. Of course, users can choose not to meet these matches, but users may feel more pressured to due to the nature of the dating service. First, the dating service is government-sponsored, which may give the impression to users of both the service’s proficiency to find optimal matches and a sense of urgency in finding a potential spouse. This may pressure users to follow through with matches made by the system or even start dating, whether or not they actually liked their match. Second, using a sophisticated AI system that is hardly interpretable by a layman could influence the opinion users to have regarding the trustworthiness of matches. By preventing users from seeing others that the system did not match them with, all the trust has been placed in the system’s competency. These differences have led to a somewhat dystopian version of a commonly used dating tool. Although results have been positive so far, further time will be needed to see how efficacious this tool has led to marriages and hopefully higher birth rates. In fact, it is difficult to say whether or not this AI system is really the silver bullet to Japan’s low birth rate to begin with.
As AI has continued to advance and solve problems that were once deemed as intractable, the public has seemed to put greater trust in the ability and efficacy of such algorithms. This trust has led to greater adoption of such technology and with it many benefits, but not without harms as well. At times, these technologies have been seen as a panacea to all types of problems, and this usage of AI to tackle low birth rates is an example. Critics have pointed out that dating may not even be the primary reason for low birth rates, but rather issues such as lower income levels and lack of support for working mothers. The money invested in new AI technologies may have been better used tackling these problems instead. Only time will tell.
References
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55226098
Algorithms for Love: Japan Will Soon Launch an AI Dating Service
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/01/29224cc39864-japan-govt-banking-on-ai-to-help-singles-find-love.html
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/14/21137096/how-tinder-matches-work-algorithm-grindr-bumble-hinge-algorithms
Image Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_symbol