Looking for love on dating app Tinder? Be wary, as your prospective love match could turn out to be a robot as a user found out.
Tinder users in Austin, Texas who were attending the South-by-Southwest (SXSW) festival were duped by the profile of an attractive-looking 25-year-old woman who went by the name Ava.
Ava's profile initially appeared on Saturday, March 14 on the dating app as male users keen on hooking up swiped right on "Ava," whose bio stated that her interests included drawing. One enthusiast who was looking forward to getting to know Ava better and make a connection was Brock. Soon, Ava and Brock were conversing via texts, with the 25-year-old asking the suitor questions like "Have you ever been in love?" and "What makes you human?"
As the conversation progressed, it started appearing that things were not as they seemed as the responses and queries seemed automated. However, the final straw for Brock that lifted the veil of Ava's identity was the remark that he had passed her test, asking him to take a look at her Instagram profile and let her know if she passed his test as well.
Once Brock accessed the Instagram profile @meetava, it became clear that Ava was none other than the female android from the impending flick "Ex Machina." The picture on the profile was of the movie's Swedish star, Alicia Vikander.
The Instagram profile had a video and photo that promoted "Ex Machina." The Tinder profile was basically a promo tool for the sci-fi flick, which will hit theaters next month. The profile has since been removed from Tinder.
Coincidentally, the premiere of the film was held in Austin on March 14 as well.
"It was done tied to the premiere of the film and only up for a short time," revealed TechCrunch's source with campaign knowledge. "Some people who matched with Ava won prizes, including tickets to the premiere."
A disappointed Brock took a screen shot of the conversation and says that the bot "toyed with my emotions so hard."
Check out the trailer of "Ex Machina" below. It hits the theaters on April 10.
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