Is making money off a ChatGPT wrapper unethical or just clever? What if it’s $190,000 per month?
Redditor u/Vladverba, who spotted a new-ish app posing as an AI assistant built to help users flirt online, posits that question.
“The problem the business solves is quite simple, but niche,” the Redditor wrote. “You screenshot a message that you get on a dating platform, Snapchat, etc and upload it to the app. The app then gives you a flirty/ clever response to send back. The idea is that this will make you better at flirting, get you more dates, etc.”
Creepy? Sad? Maybe. It’s a bit “dystopian,” even. But he’s right that it does solve a problem. A similar, more heavily marketed app called Rizz has been successful in this space. The tricky part is that this unnamed app is all but a ChatGPT wrapper — and it’s asking users for $7/week.
From the perspective of the user, it’s a small price to pay to be better at getting dates (and catfishing people??) online. The data backs this up, and by data, we mean 1.5 million downloads in just four and a half months.
“The idea of paying $7/week for a ChatGPT wrapper that helps you flirt was crazy to me. But it illustrates the fact that just because something is a wrapper, doesn’t mean it’s a bad business,” Vladverba wrote. “This company (and others) was able to find a unique angle in the AI space, and effectively capitalized on it.”
And the company behind it is currently for sale. The price tag? $3.5 million.
All in all, the Redditor thinks that this AI dating assistant “perfectly illustrates that there are endless possibilities and angles out there with AI.” And maybe when there’s as much money to make, and as many people willing to pay, the answer to whether it’s unethical or just clever is let’s wait and see.
Information for this story was found via the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
