In a world of reality dating shows and social media, dating trends are becoming more convoluted and more frequent than ever before, so much so that it is hard to keep up. Fortunately, Lovehoney Group has conscripted the help of ChatGPT to come up with the next biggest dating trends before they happen.

The AI Chatbot was fed more than 40 popular dating trends and their descriptions and given the command: “Here is a list of dating trends … using this list, please predict the next 8 dating trends that will happen in 2023”. The results were as follows:

Social Fitness – With more people focusing on fitness and well-being, there might be an increase in social fitness, where people go on dates that involve physical activity or working out together.
Pet Parenting – Given the growing popularity of pets, there might be a rise in pet parenting, where people go on dates with their pets, or even meet other pet owners for dates with their furry friends.
Solodating – With the rise of solo travel, there might be an increase in solodating, where people go on dates alone or meet up with other solo daters to explore new places and experiences.
Anti-Social Media – As people become more conscious of their screen time and social media usage, there might be a trend towards anti-social media, where people prefer to meet in person rather than connect through dating apps or social media.
Slow Romance – With the rise of slow living and mindfulness, there might be an increase in slow romance, where people take their time getting to know each other and building meaningful connections, rather than rushing into a relationship.
Snack dating – This trend involves going on quick and casual dates that don’t take up too much time or energy, like grabbing a coffee or a snack together. It’s all about keeping things low-key and not putting too much pressure on the date.
Ghost seasoning – Like ghosting, this trend involves someone disappearing after a few dates, only to reappear later on and try to pick things up again. It’s like they’re adding a little seasoning to your life before disappearing again.
Smell dating – This trend involves people choosing their potential dates based on their scent. It’s like they’re trying to find someone who smells just right and who they’re compatible with on a chemical level.

To break down the list, Lovehoney sex and relationship expert Annabelle Knight was on hand:

“Some of these are eerily accurate – for example, a recent study even suggested that there has been an increase in people using the gym as a first date, which would cover the ‘social fitness’ trend. Anti-social media is another that sounds extremely plausible, however I’d argue that ChatGPT is actually too late for this one, as this has been happening in recent years.”

“I think the one that really caught my eye that I could see being picked up as a term is ‘snack dating’ – a common reason for people not wanting to date is not being willing or able to give up the physical time and mental toll that dating has; by purposefully going on a short date juts to grab a snack, you can potentially bypass this. The only one that’s completely missed the mark is ‘smell dating’ – I really can’t see this taking off any time soon!”

“Dating, and romance in general, is an extremely nuanced topic with a ton of variables, that you probably have to have a lived experience of to really understand. So while the AI was nearly there on some of these concepts, it hasn’t fully grasped the idea of dating trends … for now!”

More information and a full verdict on each potential dating term from Annabelle can be found in this blog post: https://www.lovehoney.co.uk/blog/2023-ai-dating-trends.html

Images: Lovehoney Group (header) and Envato