TL;DR: Same bio, same prompts, same swiping behavior. Only changed photos. Match rate went from 2.1% to 8.4% (+300%). Quality of matches (measured by response rate and conversation length) also improved significantly. But there's a twist to how I got the new photos that I'll get to.
What I Changed (The Part Some of You Won't Like)
Okay, here's where I need to be honest because I know this sub has opinions about this.
My old photos were:
- Mostly selfies or cropped group photos
- Taken on my phone in random moments
- Decent lighting maybe 1/3 of the time
- Showed me in my natural habitat (read: my apartment, the one bar I go to, occasionally outside)
My new photos are AI-generated.
Yeah. I used one of those AI photo apps. Uploaded a bunch of selfies, it learned my face, and generated photos of me in scenarios I've literally never been in – walking through some Italian village, at a nice restaurant, playing with a dog I don't own, etc.
I know. I KNOW. Trust me, I had the same reaction when my friend suggested it. It felt fake, maybe even deceptive. I sat on the generated photos for like two weeks before actually using them.
Why I Ended Up Using Them
A few reasons:
- They actually look like me. Not some idealized version – same face, same build, same vibe. Just… better lighting and more interesting contexts.
- I genuinely don't have good photos of myself. I'm usually the one taking photos, not in them. And when I am in them, I'm making a weird face or half-cut off. This is apparently a super common problem for guys.
- The photos represent things I actually do or would do. I DO travel. I DO go to nice restaurants sometimes. I DO like coffee shops. I just don't have photographic evidence because I'm not the type to set up a tripod and do a photoshoot.
- Dating apps are already artificial. You're presenting a curated highlight reel. Everyone picks their best angles, their best moments, their best lighting. This is just… the logical extension of that.
[Here's what the images looked like, 2 are real and 3 are AI]
Edit: Getting a lot of DMs so I'll just answer here. The Sankey diagrams were made with SankeyMATIC. The AI photo app is called Minted AI. Nothing crazy, just worked well for what I needed, I'm sure there are better models available.
The Ethics Question (Because I Know It's Coming)
Is this deceptive? I've thought about this a lot.
Arguments it's deceptive:
- The scenarios are fabricated
- It's not a "real" photo in the traditional sense
- Matches expect photos to be actual moments from your life
Arguments it's not:
- I look the same in person as I do in the photos
- The photos represent my actual style/vibe
- Filters, professional photography, and heavy editing are already normalized
- Nobody has ever been surprised when meeting me
Regardless, I felt guilty and told every single one of my dates which one of my photos are AI generated. No one really seemed to care, but obviously I don't know what they really think.
What I Learned
- Photos matter way more than I thought. Same exact person, same bio, 300% difference in results.
- The bar for men's dating photos is in hell. Apparently just having photos where I'm:
- Clearly visible
- In good lighting
- Doing something other than standing in my bathroom
- Puts you ahead of like 80% of guys on these apps.
- Context matters as much as appearance. The AI photos worked because they showed me in aspirational but believable contexts.
For Those Who'll Say "Just Take Better Real Photos"
You're not wrong. But consider:
- Getting a friend to do an amateur photoshoot is awkward if you don't have that kind of friend
- Professional photographers cost $200-500+
- Most guys don't even know what makes a good photo (I didn't until I saw what the AI generated)
- By the time you've figured all this out, you've wasted months with a suboptimal profile
The AI photos taught me more about what actually works in dating photos than any amount of reading guides did. It's like having a personal stylist for photography.
I'm going to actually take real photos now. This experiment convinced me to actually get a friend to take some proper photos of me doing things. The AI photos were a stopgap, but now that I understand what works, I can recreate it for real.
Posted by Dead_Vegetto
32 Comments
Maybe it’s cuz in the real ones you look dead inside and don’t even try to smile 😭😭
Fam it’s because in the real photos you look completely checked out. No emotion whatsoever. Like you’re just, done with life. The smile makes the world of a difference! A smile looks good on you.
You are lying to yourself. If you did this to run an experiment, thats one thing. But if you did this in the hopes of actually getting dates, you are a deceiver, you are one of the most dishonest people I have seen on this site in a hot minute. Incredible coping being done in this post. “they are not ‘real’ photos in the traditional sense”, no, they are not real photos period. It is AI generated. Unbelievable.
Maybe just smile in the real photos? Honestly that was the biggest difference I noticed.
We live in a world where people can obviously smile only via AI
Alright, the first bar pic you do give a tad of a serial killer vibe, but the black jacket one is cool, I’d def give you a like if that means anything
I’d be curious if you just edited your originals to a friendly smile whether that would have similarly improved rates.
As a married straight man I’m clearly not your target market, but personally I’m not a fan of the AI photos. They look AI generated to me (granted I have hindsight of knowing they are) but if they weren’t then they’d seem staged and fake. But I’ve never used a dating app so have no idea what works.
What I’ll take from this is snap pics of my single mates if they’re looking dapper or having fun. I would never normally do that and maybe it would be useful.
This whole post is weird af
Interesting data and contribution to the dating arms race. I hate it. So glad I’m not running.
What’s the app called for generating the images?
Absolutely psychotic behavior. But interesting data anyway.
Thank you for showing us your in-depth analysis. I’m all for experiments like these, given your honesty and motivation, and that the situation is kind of artificial anyway, as you point out. Maybe the take-home message is to choose photos that show you as if you’re already on a classy date.
As a woman, I would have swiped right on your real pictures but not the fake ones. I like the real ones better.
read the fekkin rules, lil buddy
Fuck I hate this timeline. That’s all, guys.
The match rate remaining under 10% is the most concerning thing to me. People in the comments are quick to lambast you for using AI to ‘enhance’ your photos but they have nothing to say about how over 90% of the potential matches are ‘too good’ for the ‘AI generated perfection’. Its insane how online dating changed people’s perceptions.
Otherwise good work and interesting data, don’t let the naysayers hamper research.
It’s really not all that different from people using Instagram or snap filters which I see ALL THE TIME on like 90% or profiles.
Not saying it’s right or wrong specifically. I think it’s more complicated than that, but I wouldn’t say it’s crazy or that far out there considering what’s already happening regularly.
Wait where are the photos everyone is talking about? OPs profile is empty
You thought the first bar pic is appealing on a dating app and made a data analytics/ self excusing post on reddit: obvious lack of social skills…
The most interesting part of this experiment (in terms of reddit) is that the images I linked, I didn’t mention exactly which ones were AI. A lot assumed the first two were the real ones. Actually they’re mixed in there.
But it’s interesting to see just mentioning AI images really primes people to dislike the images they assume are AI, which I guess is an experiment within an experiment here.
Bro manipulated people in a dating app and then came here looking for acknowledgement. Get the heck out of here.
Dying at the unhinged data analysis + ai usage all for the outcome to be “Just smile more”
Let’s do the gender reversal thing! OP would be accused of catfishing if he was a woman.
Could have told you that photos are all that matters. Its a dating app lol.
One meeting and you’re dumped. Don’t fool yourself and get embarrassed in public
Holy shit, even your pre-AI photo stats are way better than mine. I get about 1 Like a week. To be fair I also don’t swipe much, but I don’t honestly believe my swiping has any relevance to how the algorithm works. I mostly get matches by the notification that someone liked me then I swipe right a few times and the person that liked me pops up and it’s done. I don’t think i’ve ever got a match to someone I liked first.
Dating is aspirational. So why not make the photos aspirational as well?
AI generated the post too it looks like. Disappointing.
So in your actual photos you look like a depressed dude. In the AI ones you look like someone who has an interesting life, is outdoorsy and happy. Now lets hope that women do not mind getting guy n1 who also AI generated a new life.
Now do it again with the same photos but explain in the conversations they’re AI and you’re posting data to reddit. I’ll wait.
Still no dates. God dating apps are such a waste of time and for some, money as well.
Going out and meeting people in the real world is still the best way to make meaningful connections with new people.
interesting but so lame. your original profile pics are what your personality is. your new ones? i expect you in the mountains every weekend and when the girls meet you they will see the big bags under your eyes or general lack of self care and you’re back at square one.
dudes always get this wrong. it’s not prompts or pictures. be genuine and be interesting, like genuinely interesting. not just saying you have hobbies but doing them and showing or talking to people about them