Researchers investigated the effectiveness of autonomous conversational agents in online dating platforms by analyzing data from two large-scale surveys (2,894 and 2,617 users). They found that users are more willing to deploy their own agent than engage with a counterpart's agent. The study also revealed a 'delegation asymmetry' where deploying one's own agent requires lower receptivity than engaging a counterpart's agent. The authors suggest that agentic recommender design should consider factors such as disclosure, opt-in mechanics, and receptivity-aware matchmaking to improve user engagement. --- Why it matters: This research matters because it sheds light on the limitations of autonomous conversational agents in online dating platforms, which could inform designers' decisions about how to deploy these agents effectively. The findings also have implications for other applications where users interact with AI-powered systems. Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.18058