The Future of Happily Ever After
AI and Relationships
I’m not a dating or relationship expert, nor am I in the market. What I am is an out-of-the-box thinker, and I can’t resist exploring solutions to some of life’s most enduring challenges. Few problems are as timeless—or as frustrating—as finding the best mate for life. So, let’s have some fun with it. If you’re in the market, maybe this will make you think differently about the tools, challenges, and possibilities in navigating this age-old pursuit. If you’re not in the market, maybe this will make you think differently about how AI might bring us forward in time while bringing us back to timeless foundations. In other words, instead of machines replacing humans, maybe machines can help bring back a human touch.
The Modern State of Marriage
Did you know that both marriage and divorce rates in the U.S. have declined over the past decade? At first glance, this might sound like progress in relationship stability, but the story is far more complex. The drop in marriage rates, in particular, reflects a larger shift in societal priorities, economic pressures, and evolving cultural norms.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, marriage rates have steadily declined since the 1970s, with younger generations marrying later—or not at all. For Millennials and Gen Z, financial instability plays a significant role. When paying rent feels like a Herculean task, the idea of splurging on a wedding or committing to shared financial goals can feel like a pipe dream.
But money isn’t the only culprit. Social media, often blamed for making our world both smaller and faster, has created a digital environment where curated perfection reigns supreme. This can make the imperfections of real relationships harder to tolerate. Add to that a growing fear of the future—spurred by climate concerns (thank you for nothing Greta Thunberg), political uncertainty (AKA lies), and economic instability (did someone say inflation?)—and it’s no wonder some are hesitant to commit to “forever.”
The numbers back up this hesitancy. Statista reports that only 26% of Millennials were married by the age of 32, compared to 48% of Baby Boomers. The reasons? Many cite a lack of trust in the institution of marriage itself. For some, it simply doesn’t align with their life goals anymore—especially for those who don’t plan to have children. A recent survey from CNBC underscores this shift: more Americans than ever are choosing not to have kids, citing financial concerns and a desire for personal freedom.
For those who still dream of finding "the one" and building a family, the odds can feel stacked against them. The dating pool is smaller even though proximity matters less in the era of apps. Thus, finding someone who simply aligns with your values can feel like winning the lottery. In this increasingly complex landscape, settling for the first needle in the haystack may seem more appealing than continuing the exhausting search for a better match. The irony is that those “better matches” might be far more obvious if they were standing right in front of you—but the fast-paced, fragmented nature of modern relationships makes finding them feel like an impossible task.
The Current State of Online Dating
Long ago, in a world before swipes and algorithms, there were classified ads. This was the humble beginning of what we now call online dating—a world where “seeking companionship” required dictating a message and waiting for a response that might take days or weeks. When the internet entered its dial-up phase, it revolutionized this system, delivering speed and accessibility to a process once tied to ink, paper, and patience. The early days of online dating promised a simpler, cheaper, and seemingly more efficient way to connect.
But as the internet evolved, so did online dating. Social media’s meteoric rise has reshaped how we interact, share, and even perceive others. Platforms that were once about building bridges to real relationships became arenas for endless options, fleeting interactions, and carefully curated personas. In this fast-paced, attention-scarce digital world, dating apps became another cog in the wheel of instant gratification.
It’s no surprise, then, that many dating apps now mirror the cultural trends of the day: a growing lack of focus, a desire for convenience, and, ironically, an exhaustion with too many choices. How many people do you know who respond to two questions in a single email or text? Probably few. The same fragmented attention spans extend to modern dating, where swiping left or right is often more about dopamine hits than deliberate decision-making.
This cultural shift isn’t just about dating; it’s emblematic of a broader issue. Take, for instance, the education and career trends highlighted by Coursera: many of the most popular college majors today focus on theory and abstraction, leaving fewer individuals with tangible skills for building or creating. We’ve traded the long, hard work of crafting lasting futures—whether it’s in careers or relationships—for quick wins and short-term satisfaction.
Dating apps reflect this same ethos. They offer the illusion of ease but rarely deliver on their promises. If the goal is to find a meaningful connection, the apps often feel like rip currents, pulling users farther from their target. BuzzFeed captured this dynamic in its exploration of how online dating has changed: what started as a simple way to connect has become an overwhelming sea of profiles, ghosting, and shallow interactions. The ease of access has paradoxically made meaningful connection harder to find.
CNN recently published an article discussing how dating may radically change in the next five years, largely due to artificial intelligence. While AI has the potential to improve matchmaking by analyzing patterns and preferences, it also raises important questions. Can technology truly solve the problems of human connection, or will it simply automate the chaos? Adding AI to a system already riddled with inefficiencies and mistrust might create better outcomes—or it could exacerbate the very issues it aims to fix.
The current state of online dating feels like a crossroads. We’ve come a long way from classified ads, but somewhere along the line, the tools we created to bring us together may have driven us further apart. The question now is whether the next wave of innovation will find a way to reverse the rip current—or simply make it stronger.
Reimagining "Happily Ever After" with AI
So, what does one do when the traditional paths to love feel broken? Matchmakers still exist—and by most accounts, they likely outperform dating apps in creating lasting connections. Their personalized, hands-on approach brings something rare to the table: human intuition, accountability, and a vested interest in successful outcomes. But they are expensive, exclusive, and inherently limited by scale. You can’t bottle up a world-class matchmaker and distribute their magic to the masses—or at least, that’s what we’ve believed until now.
Enter Keeper.ai, a platform that might just redefine what matchmaking means in the digital age. At its core, Keeper doesn’t just digitize the matchmaking process; it transforms it, scaling the human touch that made traditional matchmakers so effective. It’s the rare fusion of technology and humanity, offering not just matches but insights—like having a world-class matchmaker in your pocket, accessible to anyone.
The world moves so fast that I truly hope this company is successful enough to stay around for the long term. Obviously, I’m mentioning them here because it pertains to the topic at hand, but the backstory of why this article exists is tied to this very idea: using AI to scale something otherwise impossible—the human matchmaker. People often worry about AI taking jobs away from humans. The real win, however, is when AI allows humans to do what they were never capable of before, or scale a skill set that couldn’t otherwise be accessed.
Keeper’s brilliance lies not only in its technology but also in its incentive structure. Unlike traditional dating apps that profit from your participation, Keeper profits only when you succeed. Keeper offers two plans:
Free Plan: As a free member, you’re eligible to be matched with paying members only. Matches are guaranteed to meet your stated preferences, and you don’t pay anything. While the process may take longer for free members, Keeper’s goal is to eventually find a match for everyone.
Marriage Bounty Plan: This premium plan dramatically increases your chances of success by allowing matches with both free and paid members. Here’s where it gets interesting: you pay a fee for each match you receive, but those fees are deducted from a larger "bounty" only when you achieve success with a match. This ensures Keeper’s interests are perfectly aligned with yours. You’re not paying for access to their system; you’re paying for actual results.
This structure reflects a simple but powerful truth: you get what you incent. Keeper’s model incentivizes the platform to prioritize meaningful outcomes over endless swipes or superficial engagement. Unlike other services that profit from your frustration or repeated use, Keeper has built a model that rewards them only when they succeed in helping you find your "happily ever after."
Keeper.ai’s approach extends beyond incentives to its use of AI, which allows for a deeply intentional, scalable matchmaking process. Unlike traditional dating apps, Keeper prioritizes quality over quantity, leveraging data to ensure that matches align not just with surface-level preferences but with deeper compatibility markers.
This is where AI shines—not by replacing humans but by enabling them to achieve what was previously impossible. Imagine a world where everyone has access to a world-class doctor, a world-class teacher, or, in this case, a world-class matchmaker. Keeper.ai isn’t just about better matches; it’s about democratizing excellence, giving people the tools to make one of life’s most important decisions with clarity and confidence.
Still, even the most sophisticated system can only do so much. For any matchmaking—whether AI-driven or human-led—to work, it requires one crucial ingredient: self-awareness. You must know yourself, understand what truly matters to you, and believe in something greater than fleeting compatibility. Keeper can help guide that process, but the heavy lifting of emotional honesty and self-reflection is still uniquely human.
And that’s the real magic here: Keeper doesn’t just promise to find your perfect match; it encourages you to become the best version of yourself. It reintroduces intentionality to a process that modern dating had stripped of meaning. Whether you’re someone exhausted by endless swipes or simply ready to invest in a future with another person, platforms like Keeper offer something rare: the chance to build something real, something lasting, in a world that often feels too fast and too shallow.
An Afterthought: The Unspoken Ingredient
As we reflect on the tools, challenges, and innovations in finding the perfect match, there’s one aspect of compatibility that rarely gets discussed—perhaps because it feels too personal, too clinical, or even taboo. But if you’re especially looking to build a healthy, happy family, it might just be the most important part of the equation: DNA.
No, this isn’t about crafting “super babies” or trying to engineer the perfect human. It’s about acknowledging the genetic realities that can significantly impact the health of your future children. Imagine a world where finding your perfect match precludes the peace of mind that your shared genetic profiles don’t carry any nasty surprises—recessive genes that might result in heartbreaking outcomes down the road.
It’s a delicate topic, but one worth considering. Relationships are emotional, spiritual, and intellectual, but when they intersect with family planning, science has an undeniable role to play. Perhaps it’s time we start having those conversations—not to replace love or diminish the emotional journey, but to ensure that the foundation of our future is as strong as possible. After all, isn’t the goal of “happily ever after” not just love but the legacy it creates?
