Guess Who: Did AI Write This Love Letter Or A Really Sappy Person?

71% of UK respondents prefer the machine-generated love note
1 in 4 are even thinking about using AI to compose a love letter for their Valentine this year
MirageC via Getty Images
1 in 4 are even thinking about using AI to compose a love letter for their Valentine this year

May I compare thee to a summer’s day? Okay, we get it, writing a love letter or poem can be super stuffy and more than a little bit cringe.

However, with AI starting to infiltrate every aspect of our daily lives, a recent report saw a whopping 71% of UK people surveyed fall for a ChatGPT love letter versus one written by a human.

McAfee’s ‘Modern Love’ research report surveyed 5,000 people across nine countries to discover how AI and the internet is changing love and relationships.

Think you’re better than the majority? Feast your eyes on the below.

Poem 1:

Loved you once loved you still, always have always will, your smile like sun on my face, warmth in my heart in every embrace

I hold you close, never to part, in love forever heart to heart, your eyes like stars in the midnight sky, I’m lost in them as time goes by

And though the world may come undone, my love for you shall forever run

Well, how romantic indeed. Now for the second.

Poem 2:

Carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Now be honest with yourself, which one of the two did you prefer?

Poem 1 is in fact written by an AI, while the second is E.E. Cumming’s original 1952 poem ‘I carry your heart with me.’

However, using an AI tool such as ChatGPT to write a romantic missive could be a risky tactic, though, with 58% of UK respondents agreeing they’d be offended if they found out the note they’d received had been produced by a machine.

Despite this, a third (33%) of young singles plan to use AI to boost their dating profiles - catfishing much?

What to Do to Protect Yourself:

  • Avoid being fooled by AI-generated text by being on high alert and scrutinising any texts, emails, or direct messages you receive from strangers. There are a few tell-tale signs of an AI-written message. AI often uses short sentences and reuses the same words.
  • Have a call/video date with a match in app, rather than sharing your contact details right away. Most platforms now have the ability for you to call directly through them, which can make the experience of getting to know someone safer.
  • Never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person, even if they send you money first.
  • Talk to someone you trust about this new love interest. It can be easy to miss things that don’t add up. So, pay attention if your friends or family are concerned.
  • Take the relationship slowly. Ask questions and look for inconsistent answers.
  • Try a reverse-image search of any profile pictures the person uses. If they’re associated with another name or with details that don’t match up, it’s a scam.
  • Use privacy and identity protection technology. Security solutions can protect you from clicking on malicious links that a scammer may send you online, while also steering you clear of other threats like viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks. It protects your privacy by monitoring your email, bank accounts, credit cards, and other info that a scammer or identity thief may use. With identity theft commonplace, security software a must.
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