Emma Inge, a 25-year-old project manager in San Francisco, grew tired of the endless, aimless swiping on traditional dating apps like Hinge and Tinder. She yearned for a fresh approach.
Last September, she stumbled upon Known, a new startup promising an AI matchmaker. For 20 minutes, she candidly shared her preferences—athletic partners were a plus, codependency a definite red flag—with an AI chatbot over the phone.
Just a week later, a notification arrived: a potential match. For a one-time fee of $25, she was set up for a date at a local bar.
“Given the current dating landscape, I figured, why not give it a shot?” Ms. Inge recalled, embracing the adventurous spirit of “doing it for the plot.”
Emma’s journey highlights a significant shift in the dating app industry. New startups featuring AI matchmakers are emerging, while established giants like Hinge, Tinder, Bumble, and Grindr are rapidly integrating this technology. This signals a new era where users might pay for a select few, high-quality AI-curated matches weekly, rather than sifting through countless profiles.
Hesam Hosseini, COO of Match Group (owner of Hinge and Tinder), emphasized the transformative potential: “AI is already central to our operations, but I believe it represents the next major technological leap for the industry.”
This evolution comes at a critical juncture for dating apps, many of which have faced declining user satisfaction and dwindling paid subscriptions. While basic accounts are free, premium features often cost around $30 a month, and fewer users are finding them worthwhile.
In the past year, Bumble saw a 9% drop in paid subscribers, and Match Group experienced a 5% decline. Despite overall user growth, paid subscribers, though a small fraction, are crucial, accounting for 97% of Match Group’s revenue.
Both Match Group and Bumble have seen their stock prices plummet significantly since 2021, reflecting challenges in an industry they largely dominate.
This widespread dissatisfaction has led to what the industry terms “the cycle of despair”: users download an app, experience burnout from endless swiping or ghosting, delete it in frustration, and then, months later, reinstall it, restarting the cycle.
Mr. Hosseini noted that embracing AI matchmakers harks back to early online dating platforms like eHarmony, which used extensive questionnaires to pair users.
Although numerous startups already offer AI matchmaking, major apps are just rolling out their own features. Tinder, for instance, is piloting “Chemistry,” an AI service launching this month that analyzes users’ camera rolls to understand their personalities. It’s currently free, but paid tiers might follow.
Grindr, a popular dating app for gay men, has introduced six AI-powered features dubbed “gAI” (gay-eye). These include an AI “wingman” offering conversation tips, a tool to re-engage past matches, and AI-generated profile summaries. CEO George Arison stated that the most popular gAI features would be integrated into a premium subscription.
Hinge, boasting approximately 15 million users, employs AI to provide profile feedback and has recently updated its matching algorithm with generative AI. This enhancement has already boosted match rates by 15%, according to Mr. Hosseini.
Bumble is also slated to launch its own AI matchmaking app by year-end, though its monetization strategy, potentially a per-match fee, is still being developed.
Internally, leading dating app companies are exploring even more advanced AI functionalities, such as post-date feedback coaches and AI clones that can “pre-date” each other. Facebook Dating has already implemented an AI feature allowing users to specify ideal partner traits, like “brunette, tech professional in Brooklyn,” to find compatible real-world individuals.
However, these companies face a growing backlash against what some call “AI slop” and unwanted automation. Consequently, apps like Hinge deliberately avoid explicitly labeling their AI features as such.
Much of this strategic shift follows leadership changes. Last winter, Spencer Rascoff, Zillow co-founder, took the helm at Match Group, initiating a major restructuring and personally overseeing Tinder. Similarly, Bumble’s founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, returned as CEO in March after stepping down in 2024.
“This is more than just a passing trend,” Ms. Wolfe Herd declared at a tech conference last year, signaling a rapid and aggressive commitment to AI in dating.
While dating apps navigate this transformation, investors are keen on the new opportunities. Private equity firms Francisco Partners and Permira have reportedly approached Bumble and Grindr with acquisition offers, aiming to build a portfolio of six apps to compete with Match Group.
Representatives for Francisco Partners and Permira declined to comment on these reports.
Known, the AI matchmaking startup, was co-founded last May by Stanford dropouts Celeste Amadon (22) and Asher Allen (21). They collaborated with psychologists to design the AI’s core set of matchmaking questions.
Ms. Amadon believes that a “pay-per-date” model, as opposed to monthly subscriptions, better encourages users to meet in person. Known has also successfully organized ten singles nights in San Francisco, each attracting over 200 participants.
Emma Inge, having previously used Hinge and Tinder without much success during college, had become “generally anti-dating app.” Her attempts to meet people organically, even joining a 6 AM running club, proved fruitless, ultimately leading her to try Known.
Her recent AI-curated blind date at a San Francisco bar was surprisingly pleasant. She and her date, a robot taxi company employee whom she described as “the type of guy to sign up for an A.I. matchmaker,” easily conversed for two hours, connecting over shared interests like public transportation and new culinary experiences.
Despite a promising start and exchanging numbers, a second date never materialized. Ms. Inge, unfortunately, was ghosted.
“The AI truly found compatibility, which was impressive,” she reflected. “It was the human element that ultimately fell short.”