Gay dating app Goose accused of using AI-generated men to lure users

Gay dating app Goose has been accused of generating AI men to attract users to the platform.

An investigation from Wired alleges that Goose, a dating and friendship app, is using inauthentic accounts for promotion, which Goose has denied.

Goose was created by model-influencer Derek Chadwick and former BeReal growth and community manager David Aliagas. The app is branded as a less-hookup-focused Grindr, built around the desire for lasting relationships. At the moment, the app is focused on New York City.

The company’s mission statement has come under scrutiny after Wired’s report revealed the discovery of “more than two dozen” accounts which were allegedly AI-generated. Several of the accounts Wired highlighted as inauthentic are now unavailable, seemingly deactivated.

Wired notes that some of these accounts’ avatars were “determined with greater than 90 percent confidence” to be AI-generated. Furthermore, these low-usage accounts reportedly had abnormal follower-to-following ratios. 

The report continues: “The accounts appear to be part of a much larger network of comely, seemingly AI-generated male influencers promoting the app, either by reaching out to gay men via DM or adding them to their Close Friends Stories.

“Many of the accounts also frequently comment on each other’s photos, including the same heart and fire emojis.”

‘The need to essentially bait gay guys into signing up feels really sketchy’

Wired reporters also communicated with several men who interacted with allegedly AI-generated accounts.

Ryan Cheam told the outlet that he thought the account he was interacting with was “a normal gay guy”. However, he became suspicious when the account invited him to join a “curated network of guys” at Goose. 

“On one hand I’m flattered that I’m their target audience,” Cheam told Wired. “But the need to essentially bait gay guys into signing up feels really sketchy.”

In Goose’s guidelines, the company instructs users to “stay authentic.” Furthermore, the guidelines instruct users not to “share content created from generation or content-altering tools”.

The Federal Trade Commission prohibits using AI-generated accounts to impersonate real people and create fake endorsements. 

Neither Goose nor Chadwick responded to Wired’s request for comment, but a company spokesperson released a statement to The Advocate.

“Goose is disrupting the gay app space by creating a place where real people can make real friends, dates, and community – our team hand-picked every person who received an invite to our app and we are proud of the community we are building,” the spokesperson wrote.

“We work 24/7 to keep our app safe and free of the fake profiles that have soured other platforms. Clearly our competitors are taking notice.”

‘Insane’ safety concerns

Since Goose’s release, users have noted that its terms and conditions feature some rather extreme rules.

It includes a “Member Content License and Waiver”, which allows Goose to use a user’s “user name, image, voice, and likeness”, as well as any disappearing photos shared on the app.

Sharing their concern on X, one person said: “So this is an insane privacy concern. For everyone else using the app, this means Goose can do whatever they want with any photos/date you upload to the app. Yes – that includes the disappearing ones.”

PinkNews has reached out to Goose for comment.

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