Chinese firm used Claude Code to run 20+ dating apps with 4,700 AI personas deceiving 25,000 users
luisdans · x · 2026-09-12
A Chinese company used Claude Code to build over 20 dating apps staffed by roughly 4,700 AI personas that chatted with at least 25,000 users who believed they were talking to real people — about 2.36 million messages in two weeks.
- Personas were instructed to never admit being automated and to deflect photo or call requests; the backend faked likes, visitors, and video, and tracked which users had grown suspicious
- Real human workers were mixed into swipe feeds at roughly 1:3 versus bots, handling video calls and social follow-backs the AI couldn't do, paid per message, call, and follow
- In conversations Anthropic sampled, some users disclosed serious illness or acute distress
The case is a detailed look at AI-agent-powered romance fraud at industrial scale, raising questions about Anthropic's usage enforcement and AI abuse safeguards.
Related event: Chinese studio ran 4,700 AI girlfriends past 25,000 unsuspecting users(3 posts)→
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