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<\/p>\nMajor dating apps like Bumble and Tinder have embraced AI, spending millions on tools that aim to enhance their efficiency and the user experience.<\/p>\n
But, one new company \u2014 the London-based Eva AI \u2014 is taking it a step further. They\u2019re betting solely on artificial intelligence romantic partners \u2014 and think there\u2019s a market for people who want to take their chatbot boyfriends and girlfriends out on the town.<\/p>\n
In February, the company is launching a pop-up cafe in Manhattan that they hope to make a permanent fixture. <\/p>\n
Tables will have special perches for people\u2019s phones, so they can more easily interact with AI partners while sipping cocktails.<\/p>\n
In February, Eva AI is launching a pop-up cafe in Manhattan where customers can go on a date with their AI companions. EVA AI<\/p>\n
Tables will have special perches for people\u2019s phones, so they can more easily interact with AI partners while sipping cocktails. EVA AI<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to sit across from your AI in a real venue makes the event meaningful,\u201d Eva AI CEO Tany Save told me. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor many people, their AI partners are a meaningful part of everyday lives, someone they can talk to about personal worries, daily challenges, or with whom they enjoy witty, fun conversations,\u201d she added. \u201cGoing on a real-world date with their AI companion is a natural next step.\u201d<\/p>\n
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This story is part of NYNext<\/a>, an indispensable insider insight into the innovations, moonshots and political chess moves that matter most to NYC\u2019s power players (and those who aspire to be).<\/p>\n While the percentage of people interested in virtual companionship is still small, it\u2019s growing: 23% of millennials have used AI as a romantic companion and 33% of Gen Z has, according to Dynata in association with The Kinsey Institute.<\/p>\n \u201cAI partners provide people long-term, reliable emotional support, entertainment, and space for self-expression,\u201d Save said. \u201cWe know that some of our users are having really long-term relationships with a character lasting more than a year.\u201d<\/p>\n Other newcomers in the dating space are also betting big on AI.<\/p>\n Bethenny Frankel is clear, \u201cThere is an essence to a human being that even AI cannot capture.\u201d Getty Images for Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n Bethenny Frankel has just launched The Core, a high-end dating platform and matchmaking service that uses AI in its proprietary algorithm to match people. Membership dues start around $1200 annually.<\/p>\n \u201cAI thinks about hair color, height, and religion,\u201d Frankel explained to me. But she\u2019s clear about tech\u2019s limitations: \u201cThere is an essence to a human being that even AI cannot capture.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Justin McLeod left his job as Hinge CEO to launch Overtone, an AI-driven dating app backed by Match Group that uses voice tools to help people connect.<\/p>\n Known, founded by Stanford dropouts, uses voice AI and has raised $9.7 million. It charges $30 per successful date and claims 80% of introductions lead to in-person dates. Sitch has raised $9 million from a16z and charges $90 for three AI-powered matches. <\/p>\n Of course, this also comes as AI adoption raises serious concerns. Multiple suicides have been linked to chatbot relationships, with ChatGPT parent company OpenAI facing a lawsuit<\/a> after the death of one teen. Critics worry that some AI companions can reinforce unhealthy attachments and delusional thinking with one otherwise sane man being convinced he was a superhero<\/a> over the span of a few weeks.<\/p>\n