The “matches are made in heaven” phrase seems a little outdated as one country has decided to adopt AI matchmaking in order to help single people find love.
In an attempt to boost birth rates, Japan is planning to fund artificial intelligence-powered matchmaking schemes to help people find suitable partners.
According to a BBC report, the Japanese federal government will from next year subsidise local governments already running or starting projects that will employ AI to pair up people.
With one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, Japan has seen a steady rise in elderly pollution over decades. Its national birth rate hit a record low in 2018, with less than 865,000 babies born.
The government will be investing $19m in this project. While man-made and human-run matchmaking websites and organisations are quite famous in the Asian country, this will be the first time the government will be supporting an AI-run matchmaking programme.
It will involve more “sophisticated” analysis of the standardised forms in which the recipients will fill out details such as names, birth date, requirements and more.
The forms will then be statistically studied by the AI technology and on the basis of compatibility and partners will be found for those who have filled in the form.
While assessing important factors like income and location, it will also look at smaller but crucial aspects such as hobbies, likes and dislikes.
With increasing suicide rate, Covid-19 cases and a decrease in the economy post-pandemic, Japan already has too much on its plate. With this step, it aims to at least boost its population to overcome any challenges as and when they come up.
