With the coronavirus pandemic reducing chances for people to meet in person, a large number of companies in Japan, including several of its largest, have turned to an AI-powered dating app to help their employees find love, and hopefully become happier and more productive workers as a result.

In all, about 800 firms and organizations across the country have signed up to the app called Aill goen, partly attracted by the fact that the pool of potential matches is limited to employees of the participating companies — thus providing "a secure and safe platform," according to the developers of the service.

"My goal was to create a platform that would make it easier for employees to achieve a work-life balance and in turn boost the company's growth as well," says China Toyoshima, CEO of Aill Inc., the Tokyo-based startup that launched the service in November 2020.