Bumble announced today that it’s launching a new AI-powered feature that is designed to help identify spam, scams and fake profiles. The new tool, called Deception Detector, aims to take action on malicious content before Bumble users ever come across it.
In testing, Bumble found that the tool was able to automatically block 95% of accounts that were identified as spam or scam accounts. Within the first two months of testing the tool, Bumble saw user reports of spam, scams and fake accounts reduced by 45%. Deception Detector operates alongside Bumble’s human moderation team.
The launch of the new feature comes as internal Bumble research showed that fake profiles and the risk of scams are users’ top concerns when online dating, the company says. The research also showed that 46% of women expressed anxiety over the authenticity of their online matches on dating apps.
“Bumble Inc. was founded with the aim to build equitable relationships and empower women to make the first move, and Deception Detector is our latest innovation as part of our ongoing commitment to our community to help ensure that connections made on our apps are genuine,” said Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones in a statement. “With a dedicated focus on women’s experience online, we recognize that in the AI era, trust is more paramount than ever.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported last year that romance scams cost victims $1.3 billion in 2022, while the median reported loss was $4,400. The report stated that although romance scammers often use dating apps to target people, it’s more common for people to be targeted via DMs on social media platforms. For instance, 40% of people who lost money to a romance scam said the contact started on social media, while 19% said it began on a website or app.
The new tool is Bumble’s latest AI feature designed to make the app safer. In 2019, Bumble introduced a “Private Detector” feature that automatically blurs nude images and labels them as such in chats, allowing users to view the image or report the user.
Bumble is also leveraging AI within Bumble For Friends, the company’s dedicated app for finding friends. The app recently launched AI-powered icebreaker suggestions that help users write and send a first message based on the other person’s profile. You can tweak the question or ask for another suggestion, but you can only use one AI-generated icebreaker per chat.
It’s worth noting that Private Detector and Deception Detector are in use in both Bumble and Bumble for Friends.
