A woman looking for love on Hinge discovered that the man she had matched with was allegedly using an AI-generated face superimposed on photographs of other men.
Her discovery, which attracted 1.2 million views on TikTok, has raised fresh concerns about how artificial intelligence could make it easier to create misleading dating profiles.
The woman became suspicious of a man named Johnno after noticing something unusual about his profile pictures. When she asked whether they were AI-generated, he replied, 'Hahaha appreciate it nah no AI here.'
However, a reverse-image search led her to photographs on Pinterest that appeared to show other men, with their faces seemingly replaced by an AI-generated version of Johnno.
The woman shared her discovery on TikTok, where the video attracted 1.2 million views. Other women subsequently posted screenshots of profiles featuring different men with varying facial features and hairstyles, but wearing the same flannel shirt and linen trousers against an identical beachfront background.
Another viral video highlighted similar concerns. Content creator Dana Kuritzkes described a friend's experience with a man using AI-generated photographs on Hinge in the Bay Area.
The profile featured staged hiking and winery pictures that looked so artificial that her friend questioned whether they were stock images. Some of the winery photographs also appeared to show fingers missing from people's hands as they held glasses.
'This might be one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen on a dating app,' Kuritzkes said.
AI Is Making Catfishing Harder to Detect
These examples highlight concerns about the potential misuse of AI in online dating. However, not every use of the technology is deceptive. Some singles use AI to improve their profile descriptions or suggest conversation starters, while others may use it to alter photographs or create misleading identities.
According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 53% of US adults aged 18 to 29 had used a dating site or app. Meanwhile, the 2026 Singles in America study by Match and the Kinsey Institute found that nearly four in 10 US singles had used AI in their dating lives. Among Gen Z singles, the figure rises to 67%.
The same study found that 34% of singles considered using AI to alter dating profile photographs a deal-breaker, while 30% objected to someone using AI for all their conversations. These findings reflect attitudes towards AI in dating, rather than the proportion of users creating fake photographs or identities.
Apps such as Your Move AI, FireTexts, Keys AI and Rizz act as virtual dating assistants, while Amata, Known, Sitch and Ditto incorporate AI into matchmaking.
Dating coach Amy Chan, author of 'UNSINGLE: How to Date Smarter and Create Love That Lasts', says her clients are encountering more AI-altered images and conversations.
'Authenticity is a value people crave more than ever, (and) using washed down, AI answers is the antithesis of that,' Chan said.
Online dating coach Austin Dunham has also raised concerns about the practice. He described how a friend discovered that someone had used a photograph of him from Instagram on a Hinge profile. Dunham warned that the practice could become a much bigger problem for online dating.
'I believe it's going to cause a really big epidemic in terms of the online dating space,' Dunham said.
Dating Apps Introduce Face Verification
Dating platforms have increasingly turned to identity and photo verification to tackle fake profiles, impersonation and scams.
Seeking.com introduced its Selfie Liveness Check in January 2025, comparing live selfies with uploaded profile photographs. The company said its feature caught 53,000 scammers in 2025. It reported that many of those accounts posed as entirely AI-generated people of different ages, races and genders.
Founder and co-CEO Brandon Wade warned that scammers were exploiting AI to operate multiple profiles and target vulnerable people.
'With the use of AI they can now run multiple dating profiles on multiple different sites to be able to get the results that they want.'
Wade said this behaviour was more commonly associated with scammers than genuine daters using AI tools.
'With actual genuine daters, that is not a behavior that we're seeing as often,' he said.
Tinder has expanded its Face Check facial verification feature in the US, while Bumble offers photo verification and an ID verification process. Hinge began rolling out its Face Check feature in March 2026, using selfie videos to compare users' faces with their profile photographs and help detect impersonation.
Ben Celebicic, Hinge's chief product and technology officer, told USA TODAY: 'The authenticity of our community is important to helping daters find safe and meaningful connections.'
Why AI Verification May Not Be Enough
Identity verification does not necessarily guarantee that every photograph on a dating profile is recent or accurately represents a person's appearance. Some users have raised concerns that people could pass facial checks using their real faces while altering other details, such as clothing, physique or backgrounds. However, these concerns should not be confused with independently documented cases of verified users doing so.
Hinge says its Face Check process compares a user's video selfie with their profile photographs and can help detect when other accounts are using the same likeness.
The company also says the original video selfie is promptly deleted after assessment, although certain information derived from the scan, including facial geometry data and three audit images, is retained for verification and safety purposes.
Chan advises singles to keep their profiles realistic and arrange a video call or in-person meeting after exchanging a few messages.
She has also warned that heavily altered or outdated photographs can set people up for uncomfortable first dates.
'The person will feel shocked and deceived and that is usually impossible to bounce back from on a first date,' she said.
