Singapore has introduced a government-backed matchmaking service for public-sector workers as it battles a record low fertility rate and an ageing population.
Known as FirstDate, the initiative was launched this week for government workers aged between 21 and 35, BBC reported on Wednesday. It uses the Nobel Prize winning Gale-Shapley algorithm to match participants with one potential partner at a time.
The platform describes itself as offering “a different approach to dating,” promising to end “swipe fatigue” on its website.
Participants sign in using Singapore’s national digital identity system and complete a questionnaire on their interests, habits and values before being matched.
The Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm, which powers the service, was developed to create stable matches between two groups based on their preferences.
Late mathematician Lloyd Shapley won the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on the algorithm. It has since been applied in school admissions, medical residency placements and dating services.
The launch has drawn mixed reactions in Singapore, with some social media users calling it “dystopian”, while others have shown interest.
Elizabeth, a 29 year old employee of Singapore’s Ministry of Defence, said she was open to trying it, noting that its government backing could provide extra reassurance.
“At the end of the day, I think the experience of meeting someone through an application doesn’t change much across the [different types of] applications,” she told the BBC.
“But it is nice to know that the likelihood of being scammed is much lower. We’re all public servants looking for a partner, right?”
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