Online dating is about to radically change

By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN

(CNN) — Personalized chatbots dating other chatbots on your behalf. AI concierges fielding questions about potential matches. Advanced algorithms predicting compatibility better than ever before.

Dating apps are on the cusp of a major transformation.

As much of the tech industry grapples with how to integrate artificial intelligence into its products, dating companies are weighing how the technology could usher in a significant shift in the way people connect and meet online.

At its investor day last week, executives from Match Group — the parent company of Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, Our Time and more — teased plans to use AI to improve user experiences and help make better connections.

Justin McLeod, CEO of Hinge, outlined how the company intends to fully embrace AI next year: more personalized matching, smarter algorithms that adapt to users and better understand them over time and AI coaching for struggling daters.

“While AI is not going to be a panacea when it comes to the very deeply and personal problem of love, I can tell you that it is going to transform the dating app experience, taking it from a do-it-yourself platform to an expertly guided journey that leads to far better outcomes and much better value to our daters,” he told investors.

Although machine learning has been quietly working behind the scenes in dating apps for years — most notably as the force behind match-recommendation engines — advanced AI could elevate matchmaking by making it more effective and creative.

It’s already starting to play a bigger role. Tinder, for example, uses AI to help users select their best profile photos. Meanwhile, Bumble’s recently enhanced “For You” roundup uses advanced AI when delivering its daily set of four curated profiles based on a user’s preferences and past matches.

Bumble also uses AI in safety features like its Private Detector — an AI-powered tool that blurs explicit images — and Deception Detector, which identifies spam, scams and fake profiles. Similarly, Match Group offers tools like buttons that say “Are You Sure?” to detect harmful language and “Does This Bother You?” to prompt users to report inappropriate behavior.

But these forms of AI are only scratching the surface of what’s possible. Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble, told CNN there is “tremendous opportunity for innovation in the dating app market.”

“In building out AI, as in all endeavors, we will advocate for women and continue to build the next chapter that puts women first,” she said. “We’ll continue to invest in our current model while finding new ways for people to build relationships, and we see a future where AI can help to foster this.”

According to Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor at Arizona State University’s Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, the dating industry is still “very much in the early stages” of embracing AI.

“The platforms are still figuring out its role in the online dating experience, but it really does have the potential to transform this space.”

That’s also because the dating industry is ripe for change, she argued. Tinder made waves in 2012 by introducing the swiping mechanism, which has since been widely adopted. But apps have largely stayed the same since then, even as user burnout grows and smarter ways to connect are in demand. About 46% of Americans have had a very or somewhat negative experience with online dating, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

“The timing feels right for something new and different to happen — and that could be with AI,” Sharabi said.

Dating concierges and wingmen

The potential for integrating more AI into apps is vast. Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd previously said she envisions AI functioning as a dating concierge, helping users navigate matches, set up dates and respond to messages.

Startups such as Volar and Rizz have already experimented with chatbots that help respond to messages. On Rizz, users upload screenshots of conversations they’re having on other dating apps, and the platform helps create flirty replies. (Volar, a standalone dating app that trains on users’ preferences and automatically responds to other chatbots, shut down in September due to lack of funding.)

While the concept of chatbots dating on your behalf may seem strange, it could reduce the tedious early-stage communication by focusing more on highly compatible matches, Sharabi said.

“It’s possible that building AI into platforms will allow people to meet more quickly or find better-suited matches,” Sharabi said.

She also believes dating apps will have to address user concerns about whether they’re talking to a real person. After all, some users are already leaning on AI through services such as ChatGPT to help write profiles or respond to messages.

Dating platforms will likely add some of the tools directly into the app in a creative yet controlled way. An AI dating coach, for example, could explain compatibility scores, suggest icebreakers or help users navigate conversations.

During Match Group’s investor day, Hinge’s McLeod announced plans to build the “world’s most knowledgeable dating coach” using years of insights from the dating process.

“Dating isn’t easy. Many people using the app don’t get that first match and don’t know why — whether it’s their photos, not sending enough likes or taking too long to ask a match on a date. A dating coach can step in with personalized suggestions,” he said.

Sharabi said the concept of an AI dating coach “makes a lot of sense” because it’s not uncommon to be out with friends and co-workers when looking for love and there’s “someone to bounce ideas off of.”

“We don’t have that on dating apps,” she added. “It’d be like having a wingman, something we did when meeting face-to-face, but bringing that into the digital dating experience.”

Hinge is also working on a more personalized algorithm that gathers detailed information from users, asking them to describe what they value most and provide feedback on what is or isn’t working on the platform.

“Imagine a future where daters tell our algorithm in their own words what’s important to them and what they’re looking for,” McLeod said. “As a result, we will be better able to match them with a level of precision that up until this point hasn’t been possible.… This is just the starting point.”

McLeod said Hinge has already seen a higher number of matches and subscription renewals with its improved AI algorithm among early test groups. It plans to roll this out globally in March.

But as of now, Sharabi said no company has yet emerged as a clear leader in AI dating.

“They’re all still figuring it out,” she said. “But one thing is clear: Dating online is going to look very different in just a few years.”

The-CNN-Wire
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