Dating Apps Are Flirting With AI

Dating apps that once did everything they could to keep users swiping are now hoping AI can finally help people stop. As Business Insider reports, Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr are investing tens of millions of dollars in new AI tools meant to deliver better matches with fewer swipes, reframing their products after years of stagnation. Grindr CEO George Arison has called the technology's potential "magical," while Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff said AI is "changing everything." The urgency is clear: Users are burned out, growth has slowed, and enthusiasm for dating apps has faded. "It's been a really long time since there's been a new reason—whether technology, platform, brand, whatever—for consumers to be excited about dating," said Sam Yagan, co-founder of OkCupid and former CEO of Match Group.

The AI push goes far beyond the recommendation systems dating apps have relied on for years. Tinder is piloting Chemistry, a feature that gives users a "daily drop" of suggested matches based on photos and prompt responses, aiming to prioritize compatibility over volume. Bumble plans to roll out its own AI tools next year, while Hinge is reworking its matchmaking engine. Grindr has introduced AI-powered "For You" and "A-List" feeds to recommend profiles more deliberately. Hilary Paine, Tinder's vice president of product, said AI is now essential to competing for attention. "AI is pushing every consumer app toward personalization," she said "The more that we can do to get you efficiently to a spark and a connection, a conversation, hopefully a date, that's a better experience for you."

Meanwhile, the AI race is expanding online dating beyond established players. A wave of startups is building AI-first dating platforms designed around curated introductions instead of endless scrolling. Sitch, which charges $90 for three matches, trains its system on the experience of a human matchmaker, while other newcomers like Known, Ditto, and Amata are pitching AI as a clean break from swipe culture. The New York Times recounts one Known user who spent 20 minutes on the phone with a chatbot answering questions about her ideal partner, and paid $25 for a premium match. Even Facebook has entered the fray, a move some see as a serious threat to incumbents. Still, analysts warn that technology alone may not reverse years of frustration with dating apps. As Raymond James analyst Andrew Marok put it, "You can't just take a product that's out of favor, put AI on top of it and say, 'Okay, now we have a product that's in favor.'"