Toronto’s dating scene has been upgraded with a new relationship AI coach and it’s been therapist approved.
Couply AI works when a couple or any two people dating each other input both of their profiles with their date of birth, when they started dating, if they’re married or have kids, and other personal details.
The most notable addition to the app is their AI relationship coach meant to provide customized advice for Torontonians and beyond.
It analyzes relationship data from over 400,000 people who have used the app since it launched in 2021.
“It’s a ton of data! We thought – why not leverage that data and put it to work to help couples with their relationship?,” Couply CEO Timothy Johnson told Now Toronto.
The AI relationship predicts the couple’s strengths and weaknesses based on different quizzes, questions, and courses to build a “personality mesh.”
Johnson relies on the coach frequently, like surprising his girlfriend with an AI-generated poem to go with a blueberry muffin or relying on it to vent when he runs into any relationship conflicts.
Psychotherapist and owner of Fresh Insight mental health clinic, Kristina Virro believes one of the greatest advantages for couples to rely on AI is that it offers them information at their fingertips.
“Many of us were never really taught what a healthy relationship looks like, and it can be really demoralizing to feel like you don’t have the tools to navigate conflict, enhance connection, or work through things as a team,” Virro told Now Toronto.
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Charles Javelona, one of the engineers behind Couply AI, mentions the coach is like a “really impartial friend who knows you both well.”
Currently, Couply AI helps plan date nights, offers different communication methods, and actionable steps to improve toxic patterns.
The engineer hopes Couply AI will eventually be able to book a restaurant reservation or buy gifts based on a partner’s preferences directly from the chat.
However, Virro is wary AI could be used for manipulative purposes, especially when people are just getting to know each other.
Someone who wants to come across as emotionally intelligent or attuned could have a script for the “right things to say” that don’t reflect their true intentions or personality.
Virro also doesn’t believe an AI coach is a replacement for therapists, but instead helpful guides.
“Body language, tone of voice, and other forms of non-verbal communication are so important during a therapy session, and we therapists become very skilled at noticing patterns or
‘indicators’ of how a particular client is feeling. Therapy is not just a practice, but an art, and AI simply hasn’t gotten that far yet.”
Aside from a relationship coach, the app features a forum where Couply posts questions to spark conversation amongst their users and 118 courses meant to help people learn more about themselves and their partners.
People can download Couply on IOS or Android.
