Almost half of US singles feel negatively about AI in dating, Match says
About 47% of singles look negatively at the use of AI in dating -- but many dating app users are open to AI helping with profile punch-ups and conversation starters.
Dating app giant Match Group — which owns apps like Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid — conducted a study to determine how U.S. singles really feel about the relationship between AI and dating. Turns out, people don’t want AI messing with every aspect of human life.
Across the industry, dating apps are experimenting with AI. Bumble introduced a dating assistant named Bee , and Tinder is spending so much on AI tools that it’s slowed its hiring process. Meanwhile, Hinge’s CEO stepped down last year to launch a more AI-focused dating app altogether.
But according to Match’s survey of 1,000 people aged 18 to 39, 47% of singles have a negative view of AI’s use in romantic contexts.
This perspective varies depending on what the AI is being used for. About 40% of singles say they would refuse to date someone who uses an AI companion app, and that figure rises to 51% among women ages 18 to 24. However, only 12% of 18- to 24-year-olds said that they had used a companion app over the last three months, and only about a third of those users said they were seeking genuine connections with those chatbots.
While Match says that people harbor a “near-universal” disapproval of actually dating an AI, like in the movie “Her,” that doesn’t mean that respondents are wholly opposed to AI features within apps. Some 64% of respondents said they could see how AI might help them in their dating journey.
If we’re being pedantic, technically , every major dating app has already used some form of matching algorithm since before we knew what a GPT was. This survey refers to the new crop of AI features that basically every app is introducing, which help users punch up their profiles, choose photos, and keep conversations flowing.
What dating app developers should take away from this survey is that people are not entirely closed off to AI; they just don’t want to be in a relationship with a robot, nor do they want to feel as though their dating experiences are overly inundated with technology that feels inauthentic.
“Ask singles what they want from AI in dating, and the answer is pretty consistent: help with the hard parts, but hands off for the human parts,” Match wrote in a blog post. “Yes, they’ll use it to help them punch up a profile or for help figuring out what to say when a conversation goes quiet, but the actual connection is still theirs to create.”
Hopefully this message reaches dating entrepreneurs like Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, who suggested that dating app users could have personal bots that date other users’ bots . It’s pretty normal nowadays to say you met your partner online, but “his bot asked my bot out, and our bots hit it off” will never be a socially acceptable meet-cute.
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Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos.
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Key takeaways
- 47% of singles in the US have a negative view of AI use in relationships.
- Users are open to AI tools that assist with profiles and conversations but do not want technology to replace human connection.
- Resistance to AI in dating may reflect broader concerns about the dehumanization of social interactions.
Editorial analysis
Match Group's survey reveals significant resistance among US singles regarding the use of AI in relationship contexts. For the Brazilian tech sector, this indicates that the adoption of AI-based solutions in dating apps should be approached with caution. The negative perception of AI may reflect broader concerns about the dehumanization of social interactions, which is particularly relevant in a country like Brazil, where interpersonal relationships are culturally valued.
Moreover, the division in opinions about AI usage highlights the need for a balance between technological innovation and authenticity in user experiences. Brazilian companies developing dating apps must consider that while users are open to tools that enhance their experiences, they do not want technology to replace human connection. This suggests that local startups should focus on solutions that complement rather than substitute human interactions.
The fact that 64% of respondents see potential in AI to assist in their dating journeys indicates that there is room for innovation, provided that this innovation respects the human nature of relationships. Moving forward, it is crucial for dating app developers in Brazil to observe these trends and feedback, adjusting their offerings to meet an audience that values authenticity and genuine connection.
Finally, the clear message from the survey is that users want AI to help with the difficult parts of interaction but to stay away from the more intimate and emotional aspects. This is an important lesson for tech entrepreneurs in Brazil, who must ensure that their AI solutions are perceived as facilitators rather than intruders in personal relationships.
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