Generative artificial intelligence (AI) adds unprecedented scale to capabilities for self-presentation online that may diverge from one’s physical-world identity, thus potentially misinforming consent to intimate interactions, such as in online dating. Yet there is little empirical understanding of AI-generated self-presentation and (non-)disclosure to interaction partners. We present a qualitative survey of 113 online daters who used AI-generated content in their profiles or messages seen by in-person meeting partners. Findings show that generative AI is often used to fabricate attractive dating personalities through profile text and bios, with no relevance to one’s actual identity, and is seldom disclosed to meeting partners to avoid romantic rejection. Because sexual assault is defined by mis- or under-informed consent, the study positions generative AI as a potentially significant sexual assault risk factor through its use for presentation of non-physical traits that are influential to dating outcomes yet not readily identified as AI-generated upon meeting face-to-face. Content warning: this paper discusses forms of sexual violence including rape by deception.
ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems