Modern love: Gen Z turns to AI for breakup texts, apologies and dating advice
Artificial intelligence is now writing 'It's not you, it's me' texts for Gen Z.
A new national survey from dating assistant Wingmate found that 41% of young adults have used AI to help end a relationship, with women slightly more likely than men to let the bots do the dirty work.
The survey, which polled over 1,000 U.S. adults who've used AI for dating, shows just how deep AI has embedded itself in modern romance.
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5 Wingmate's national survey found that 41% of young adults have used AI to end a relationship, with nearly half of Gen Z respondents saying they've used it to write breakup messages or manage relationship conflict.
Jack Forbes / NY Post Design
Nearly half of 18- to 29-year-olds said they've turned to AI tools to write breakup texts, apologies or manage relationship conflict.
The most common uses include dating-bio optimization, conversation starters, replying to messages and resolving conflict. Roughly one-third of users sought direct dating advice, and nearly half turned to AI for help writing apologies or other emotionally sensitive messages.
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For some, it's about simplicity: 29% said dating became 'simpler' with AI, and 21% said it helped them talk to more people. Others said it boosted their confidence — with more than half reporting better conversations when using AI.
5 Artificial intelligence is now doing the dirty work, including writing breakup texts. The Post asked ChatGPT to craft one, and within seconds, it delivered a painfully polite, emotionally distant goodbye.
Obtained by the New York Post
But when it comes to the end of a relationship, things can get . . . robotic.
TikTok features a growing number of videos where users expose breakup messages they claim were clearly AI-generated. One viral post captioned 'When he sends a breakup text that looks entirely written by ChatGPT, em dashes and all' has racked up nearly 240,000 views.
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Another shows a woman running her breakup message through an AI detector, which immediately labels it 100% GPT-generated.
5 Some social media users are putting breakup messages through AI detectors and finding out their ex may have let ChatGPT do the talking.
merrittw/ TikTok
Not everyone's convinced AI belongs in their love lives. While most respondents said it was useful or neutral, a few called it inauthentic and more than one in five admitted they use it but don't tell anyone.
Dr. Jess Carbino, former in-house sociologist for Tinder and Bumble, said it can be depriving to outsource the task of breaking up with an individual to AI.
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'Individuals might also mistakenly assume that what AI generates in this domain is valid or appropriate, when matters of the heart often are more delicate, require nuance and merit personalization,' Carbino told The Post.
5 TikTok features a wave of videos where users share breakup messages they believe were written by AI — pointing to odd wording, stiff tone and robotic delivery.
acediam/TikTok
Still, many say it helps. With 57% claiming they'd trust AI over a friend for dating advice, the business of AI-powered romance is booming.
Third-party services like YourMove AI and Rizz market themselves as full-on dating copilots — offering help with everything from flirty openers to awkward conversations.
YourMove, which now claims over 300,000 users, promises to put your texting 'on cruise control.' For $15 a month, it generates text messages in seconds, rewrites bios, boosts photos and critiques dating profiles.
5 AI-powered dating assistants like YourMove and Rizz are cashing in on the emotional outsourcing trend, offering users personalized bios and flirty text responses, all for a monthly fee.
Mirko Vitali – stock.adobe.com
Rizz takes a similar approach, offering 'personalized responses that are sure to impress your crush,' with weekly plans starting at $10 — and no clear limit on how much emotional heavy lifting the bot will do.
Even ChatGPT offers breakup-specific tools, including a 'Breakup Text Assistant' where users can specify tone, relationship length and how much closure they want to give.
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