[alicebot-general] automated conversations (e.g., for online dating)

[Helio Perroni Filho]

--- Amir Michail <amichail at gmail.com> wrote:

> Do you know if something like this has been done?
> Would you use it (not necessarily for dating)? How
> would it compare with social networking?

As a programmer I find the possibilities of your
approach quite tempting, but I wonder about the ethics
of creating such a service. Online dating is a
somewhat questionable service as it is: more often
then not profiles deviate from reality, as users omit
incovenient details about themselves, add false
information, use outdated pictures and so on.

So far online chatting has been one of the main ways
to finger those cheaters; but if you add to the
service the ability of creating a "virtual you", then
dishonest users will be able to add another layer of
credibility to their impersonation, by crafting a
personality coherent to their false claims -- one that
can be trusted not to reveal anything undesired, not
even under the strictest interrogatory.

Of course bots don't lie to people all by themselves;
they only give the answers they got from their
masters. It's also obvious that every botmaster can
choose to make their bot give replies that don't
correspond to truth, regardless the intended use.
Still, I think there are cases where lying bots would
be more likely, and online dating would be one such
case -- it's just too tempting, the chance of devising
a "virtual you" better than the "real you" to show the
world.

I can understand if you don't have a problem with any
of that; however, in that case you might want to look
into the current trend of online dating services being
sued -- among other things -- for a perceived
tolerance toward dishonest users. I'd search advice
from a lawyer before deploying such a service.

-- 
Ja mata ne.
Helio Perroni Filho



		
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