I’ve never used a dating app—not out of unfamiliarity, but out of fear. The fear of being misrepresented, surveilled, or worse—becoming the target of violence.
Ironically, I became the subject of violence and identity theft anyway.
That experience has only deepened my concern about the promises and perils of digital intimacy in an era of AI, profiling, and algorithmic matchmaking. After listening to The Cut’s March 2024 interview with Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, I began to reflect more critically on what these platforms offer—and what they take. Wolfe Herd spoke about how AI can help build safer, more intentional online spaces for women, but it raises deeper questions: Can technology truly protect us from the dangers it sometimes amplifies?
Can AI really make us trust again?
