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Opinion

Love at first byte: Is your next date human — or is it AI?

How Arizonans looking for romance online can protect themselves from scammers

OPINION — Online dating used to mean wondering whether someone’s profile photo was 10 years old. Now there’s a more fundamental question: Does this person even exist?

As host of a local dating podcast, I encourage people to take a chance on love. But taking a chance on someone and handing your heart — or your savings — to a fictional character are two very different things.

Romance scammers have long used fake identities to manufacture affection and trust. Artificial intelligence adds another layer: Even the face smiling back on a video call may be a deepfake.

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