Data Science Rotterdam

Hello AI & Data Science enthusiasts! 👋

We're excited to invite you to AI & Intimacy — a joint meetup hosted by Breeze x Data Science Rotterdam.

How do we build AI products for the real world without falling into patterns that potentially harm or exploit our users? Dating apps are a perfect case study: they promise connection, but their incentives don't always point that way — engagement metrics, retention, and matching algorithms can quietly work against the very outcome users want. As AI takes a bigger role in how we meet people, the stakes get higher: whose interests does the algorithm actually serve, and what biases does it bake in along the way? We're bringing together industry and academia to ask how AI-powered platforms can genuinely help people connect — and what it takes to build them responsibly.

Where: 42 Workspace, Rotterdam
When: Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Agenda

• 17:30 – 18:00: Welcome & intros
• 18:00 – 18:20: Talk 1 — Thomas Crul (Breeze)
• 18:20 – 18:40: Talk 2 — Carlota Memba Aguado (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
• 18:40 - 19:20: Debate - industry vs safety, plus audience
• 19:20 onwards: Networking & drinks

Talk 1: Thomas Crul (Breeze) — Addressing algorithmic fairness in practice: lessons from Breeze
A look from inside the machine: what it actually takes to build a dating app's matchmaking system and navigate its unavoidable ethical challenges. Every matching algorithm decides who gets seen, how often, and by whom — and those choices carry real consequences. Thomas shows where the trade-offs really bite: how you build matching that serves users rather than engagement dashboards, and what "responsible" looks like when your product decides who people get to meet.

Bio: Thomas Crul is the lead matchmaking engineer at Breeze, the dating app taking 'online dating offline' by skipping the messaging stage and arranging real-life dates after a match. He's responsible for the system that decides who sees which profiles, and how many.

Talk 2: Carlota Memba Aguado (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) Discrimination, preferences, and the law in online dating
By definition, romantic preferences exclude people — yet most are an accepted way of choosing a partner. So where's the line? Carlota defines what discrimination actually means, explains why some preferences can be problematic, and maps the forms of discrimination found on dating platforms — especially where the interaction between humans and algorithms turns private preferences into public concern. She closes with how European law addresses algorithmic discrimination, and what developers and companies should consider when putting AI into their products.

Bio: Carlota Memba Aguado is a PhD candidate and lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, researching anti-discrimination law and the line between private and public in intimate relationships. Her current work focuses on discrimination in online dating platforms.

The Debate: Ship it vs. scrutinise it 🥊
Here's where it gets spicy. In one corner, Thomas — building and shipping matchmaking at Breeze. In the other, Carlota — scrutinising exactly these systems through the lens of anti-discrimination law. Moderated by Dimitrios Gontzes, they'll go head-to-head on the tensions neither side can dodge: where does "giving users what they want" end and "amplifying harm" begin, and can you really build responsibly at commercial speed? Then we hand it to you — come with your sharpest questions, because this only gets better the harder we push.

We look forward to seeing you there! 🚀

A big thank you to 42 Workspace for hosting us — go check out their space if you haven't yet.

If you have colleagues or friends who are ai-mazing enthusiasts of data science, AI, or analytics — feel free to invite them along.

Photography & Media Consent
By registering for this event, you acknowledge and agree that photographs and/or video may be taken during the event [confirm recording is happening before finalizing this line]. These may include images in which you appear and may be used for promotional, marketing, or documentation purposes by the event organizers, including publication on websites, social media, and other communication channels. If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please inform the event staff upon arrival.