AI Will Save Dating Apps. Or Maybe Finally Kill Them
Feb 10, 2025 6:00 AM A slew of tools—from Iris Dating to Grindr's forthcoming 'wingman'—promise that they can increase your odds of finding someone with AI. So far, the results are mixed. ILLUSTRATION: ALEKSANDRA BOKOVA
Sebastian has no problem with artificial intelligence. At least, not if it can help the San Francisco thirtysomething connect with more bubble-butt users on hookup apps like Grindr. 'If the AI can find someone I can just do the work with, I'm fine,' he says. 'No talk. Just push-ups.'
WIRED went looking for love and found that modern romance is a web of scams, AI boyfriends, and Tinder burnout. But a smarter, more human, and more pleasure-filled future is possible.
Lucky for Sebastian, Grindr aims to please. Machine-learning features are prominent on the app's product road map for 2025. CEO George Arison believes the addition of AI tools to the app, which largely caters to LGBTQ+ singles, could prove beneficial for users looking to discover new people worth messaging or possibly connecting with again. Further in the future, the app hopes to release a 'wingman' chatbot, currently being beta tested by a limited number of users, that will provide tailored advice and even suggest date spots.
As the generative AI race heated up following OpenAI's release of ChatGPT in 2022, execs at many dating app companies looked to integrate the technology into their user experiences. Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd pitched the idea of AI dating personas automatically interacting on behalf of users. Her app is currently working on AI-powered profile creation and messaging options. Not to be left out, Tinder dropped a tool in 2024 designed to help you pick the best profile photos; it plans to roll out AI-assisted matches later this year.
Late last year, Hinge CEO Justin McLeod promised the app would soon be using the tech for everything from making matches to AI coaching. 'While AI is not going to be a panacea when it comes to the very deeply and personal problem of love,' he told investors, 'I can tell you that it is going to transform the dating app experience.'
Several AI-focused newcomers have also entered the fray in recent years. These tools focus more on AI advice than using machine learning to build networks of eligible daters. Rizz (yes, really) went viral for helping users on existing dating platforms role-play different responses to matches, earning an international following. Hell, even the Hawk Tuah girl released a dating advice app, called Pookie Tools, which included a flirt meter, height detector, and bald predictor.
AI, if it hasn't already, is coming for your swipes. It couldn't be a better, or worse, time. Many people feel like the current ways dating apps connect them with others aren't successful, but they're still looking online for love—and sex. As generative AI has seeped into all parts of online life, being able to discern what's genuine has only gotten harder. Adding bot-on-bot action to the mix sure doesn't sound like the answer. But if it's not, is there anything that can save digital dating from itself?
Of all the new tools out there, Iris Dating might be the one for those already deep into AI-assisted meetups. With over a million downloads from the Google Play Store since 2019, Iris is busy. It seemed like a good place to start if I wanted to find out whether all these AI widgets were worth it.
After downloading the app, Iris asked for my location and a few scant details about who I was hoping to be matched with. Then, without warning, a disembodied woman's head popped up on the screen and encouraged me with her robotic voice to take a photo of my face for verification purposes and to keep the app a 'safe space.'
The last phase of the setup involved swiping left and right on stock images of people's faces until the app, supposedly, figured out what profiles matched my true '#AttractionDNA.' Despite choosing men and women of various racial backgrounds during the swiping, most of the matches Iris connected me with were women living in the Philippines. Iris CEO and founder Igor Khalatian explained over email that this was likely due to the app recently going viral with Filipino users. He added that the company is working on a better balance for these connections.
One person I connected with, Chloe, was an avid user of the app and thought the vague AI aspect was cool and beneficial.
'Yeah, it's helpful,' she told me. 'Because you can have some good friends on here.' Despite using the app for the past six months and enjoying the conversations, Chloe hadn't yet met up with any of her matches in person. (All user names in this story have been changed to preserve anonymity.)
Another one of the women, Althea, was new to the app, using it alongside other options like Bumpy and OkCupid. Althea didn't really care much about the AI aspect of Iris. 'I don't know,' she says. 'I just guess I can find a serious relationship here maybe.'
As I spoke with more women on the app, it was fairly clear that many of the users hewed closer to Althea's point of view than to Chloe's. Connecting with the right person through a hookup or dating app feels like a numbers game to many people as they juggle multiple accounts. Ultimately, everyone feels like they're algorithm chum even before they get into AI tools. These users are willing to show up wherever it seems like other people worth finding might be hanging out.
Some of the Grindr users that I reached out to in San Francisco were similarly ambivalent about the app's plans for AI features, and almost no one had heard about the wingman chatbot, despite living in America's tech capital. As long as it doesn't interfere too much with their core goals on Grindr, this subset of users didn't seem to care either way about new tools.
Another group of users were turned off to learn about the plans for more AI features. 'I am philosophically very anti-AI,' Tomás told me. 'Part of relationship building—be it sexual, romantic, platonic—involves dealing with friction. I think the more organic approach is to not have AI involved.' While Tomás acknowledged that AI features might be potentially helpful for other users, he doesn't see the tools as aligning with his personal beliefs or real reason for using the app: sex.
I messaged Sebastian again to better understand his perspective, curious if he had other thoughts about AI tools, dating apps, and hookups that he wanted to share. 'Yes, man. Many,' he wrote, before dropping four huge, blue-bubble messages in our chat together. His answer listed four pros (better matches, improved safety, conversation starters, profile optimization) and four cons (lack of authenticity, privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, overreliance on AI), organized neatly into lists and accompanied by emoji. It's immediately clear what Sebastian is up to, so I asked if that answer was generated by AI. He quickly responds, 'Yes. So, you get me?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Japanese AI Unicorn Notta Enters Otter AI's Market with Innovative Smart Voice Recorder
Notta Bets Big on AI Agent-Powered Voice Recorder as Hardware-SaaS Convergence Accelerates TOKYO, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As OpenAI's ChatGPT dominates enterprise AI adoption and Google Gemini reshapes how businesses think about AI assistants, Japanese unicorn Notta announced its ambitious push into the U.S. hardware market with the Notta Memo AI Voice Recorder. From Tokyo to Silicon Valley: The Underdog Story Notta's journey reads like a classic tech disruption playbook, albeit with a Japanese twist. Since launching in 2020, the company has quietly built a formidable AI transcription empire, amassing over 10 million users globally and signing up 4,000 enterprise customers. The real validation? A staggering 68% of Japan's Nikkei 225 companies—the country's most elite corporations—have integrated Notta's AI solutions into their workflows. 'Most observers underestimate just how competitive the Japanese enterprise market is,' explains industry analyst Sarah from TechInsight Research. 'If you can win over two-thirds of the Nikkei 225, you've proven enterprise-grade reliability at scale.' Notta's 2022 Airgram acquisition was just the opening move—the company believes the real opportunity lies in completely reimagining how voice technology integrates into daily workflows. Security-First Approach Gives Notta Enterprise Edge Unlike many AI startups that retrofit compliance as an afterthought, Notta built enterprise security into its foundation from day one. The company holds ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications—credentials that remain elusive for many competitors still scrambling to meet Fortune 500 requirements. More critically, Notta has secured the regulatory trifecta that unlocks major markets: GDPR compliance for European expansion, HIPAA certification for healthcare disruption, and CCPA adherence for California's privacy-conscious landscape. This compliance-first strategy positions Notta to compete for high-value enterprise contracts that security-conscious organizations won't trust to less mature platforms. Hardware Meets AI: The Five-Platform Ecosystem Play The Notta Memo distinguishes itself in the crowded voice recording market through its unique five-platform ecosystem integration—seamlessly connecting web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, and the Memo device itself. This comprehensive approach addresses the fragmented user experience that has long plagued the industry. Unlike traditional voice recording solutions that force users to choose between SaaS flexibility and hardware reliability, Notta Memo delivers both. The device features advanced bone-conduction technology for complete phone call recording, intelligent noise reduction for crystal-clear audio capture, and one-tap synchronization with Notta. 'We're not just launching another recording device,' said Ryan, CEO of Notta. 'We're introducing a complete AI-powered voice ecosystem that adapts to how people work and communicate in today's hybrid world. Our hardware becomes an extension of our proven AI platform that has already transformed millions of meetings worldwide.' Beyond recording, Notta Memo is your AI-powered agent and centralized knowledge hub—seamlessly integrated across all your workflows. Competitive Positioning in a Dynamic Market Notta enters the US AI transcription market with an integrated approach that combines software and hardware innovation. While the market includes established players like Otter AI in the SaaS space and Plaud AI in hardware solutions, Notta differentiates itself through its comprehensive platform that leverages AI capabilities refined through years of serving millions of global users. The company acknowledges the challenges in competing against established players with loyal American user bases. However, Notta's proven track record of rapid user acquisition and revenue growth in Japan, combined with its technological differentiation, positions it as a formidable new entrant. Market Timing and Strategic Vision Notta's American expansion comes at a pivotal moment in the AI industry. As enterprises increasingly adopt AI agents for productivity enhancement and consumers demand more intelligent, seamless technology experiences, the convergence of AI SaaS and purpose-built hardware represents a natural evolution. The Notta Memo's launch signals more than just product diversification – it represents Notta's vision of AI-native hardware that thinks, learns, and adapts to user needs. This positions the company at the forefront of the next wave of AI innovation, where the distinction between SaaS and hardware dissolves into unified, intelligent experiences. About Notta Notta is the AI unicorn that's redefining how the world captures and understands conversations. Seamlessly integrating advanced SaaS with intelligent hardware, Notta turns conversations from any meeting, call, or discussion into actionable insights. This AI-powered, end-to-end solution captures and structures spoken interactions, creating a centralized knowledge hub. Media Contact: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Notta
The Verge
an hour ago
- The Verge
Popular AI apps get caught in the crosshairs of Anthropic and OpenAI
Battlelines are being drawn between the major AI labs and the popular applications that rely on them. This week, both Anthropic and OpenAI took shots at two leading AI apps: Windsurf, one of the most popular vibe coding tools, and Granola, a buzzy AI app for taking meeting notes. 'With less than five days of notice, Anthropic decided to cut off nearly all of our first-party capacity to all Claude 3.x models,' Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan wrote on X this week, noting that 'we wanted to pay them for the full capacity.' An additional statement on Windsurf's website said: 'We are concerned that Anthropic's conduct will harm many in the industry, not just Windsurf.' Here, Mohan's company is collateral damage in Anthropic's rivalry with OpenAI, which has reportedly been in talks to acquire Windsurf for about $3 billion. The deal hasn't been confirmed, but even the spectre of it happening was enough for Anthropic to cut off one of the most popular apps that it powers. After a spokesperson told TechCrunch's Maxwell Zeff that Anthropic was 'prioritizing capacity for sustainable partnerships,' co-founder Jared Kaplan put it more bluntly. 'We really are just trying to enable our customers who are going to sustainably be working with us in the future,' Kaplan told Zeff. 'I think it would be odd for us to be selling Claude to OpenAI.'
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Analysts unveil bold forecast for Alphabet stock despite ChatGPT threat
You typed in a question and clicked a few links, and Google could get paid if you landed on an ad. For years, that simple cycle helped turn Google into a trillion-dollar titan. But now, that model is under threat. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter AI-powered chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT are rapidly changing how people find answers. Instead of browsing through links, users are getting direct summaries on AI. These "zero-click" searches quietly erode the economics that built the modern internet. The number of users is growing fast. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in April that ChatGPT already has "something like 10% of the world" in terms of users, pegging the number closer to 800 million, Forbes reported. Even Google seems to know it. It's giving AI answers, called AI Overviews, right at the top of the page. "What's changing is not that fewer people are searching the that more and more the answers to Google are being answered right on Google's page. That AI box at the top of Google is now absorbing that content that would have gone to the original content creators," Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said in a CNBC interview. Image source: Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Alphabet (GOOGL) , Google's parent company, isn't showing any cracks just yet. In April, the company posted first-quarter revenue of $90.23 billion, topping Wall Street expectations. Earnings per share came in at $2.81, far above the forecasted $2.01. Related: Analyst resets Nvidia-backed AI stock price target after 200% surge Advertising, the backbone of Google's business, brought in $66.89 billion, accounting for nearly three-quarters of total revenue. Its "Search and other" segment rose almost 10% year over year, hitting $50.7 billion. Meanwhile, Google's own AI tools are starting to show traction. AI Overviews now has 1.5 billion users per month, up from 1 billion in October, the company said. So far, the numbers suggest that AI isn't cannibalizing Google's business yet. Bank of America remains bullish on Alphabet stock. The firm reiterated a buy rating and a price target of $200, which implies a potential 15% upside from current levels, according to a recent research report. The firm said in May, Google's global average daily web visits held steady at 2.7 billion, unchanged from the previous month and down 2% from a year earlier. ChatGPT, meanwhile, saw a 3% month-over-month increase to 182 million, marking a 105% jump year-over-year. Related: Cathie Wood buys $13.9 million of popular AI stock In the U.S., Google traffic slipped 2% year-over-year to 524 million daily visits, while ChatGPT surged 112% over the same period to 26 million. Although Google has highlighted the growing reach of its AI Overviews, analysts are uncertain whether it's translating into more traffic. "So far, we are not seeing a lift in Google traffic from AI Overviews expansion, though we think the search experience is much improved," the analysts wrote. The competition is real. Google's global search share also edged down in May, falling 8 basis points month-over-month and 123 basis points year-over-year to 89.6%, according to Statcounter. Still, Bank of America analysts remain optimistic on Alphabet stock. "While ChatGPT's traffic continues to grow rapidly, we think Google remains well-positioned given its scale, multi-product reach, data assets, and robust monetization infrastructure," the analysts said. "AI can expand overall search monetization by better understanding the intent behind complex and long-tail queries that were previously hard to monetize," they added. Morningstar's Malik Ahmed Khan echoed that sentiment, saying Alphabet's diverse revenue streams and global exposure should cushion any hits, even as regulatory and AI risks mount, according to a May research report. Alphabet stock closed at $174.92 on June 6. The stock is down 8% year-to-date. Related: Top analyst sends bold message on S&P 500 The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
