The dating world is evolving. The only option used to be meeting people in person, but then came the internet and the ability to meet people virtually. Now, there is artificial intelligence, where an “AI concierge” could soon do it all for dating app users. One person’s AI bot could meet other AI bots to find someone’s best match, according to Bumble’s founder.
“There is a world out there where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierges, then you don’t have to talk to 600 people,” Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd said at the Bloomberg Technology Summit. “We would scan all of San Francisco for you, and be like, ‘These are the three people you should really meet.’”
Bumble dominates in the dating app space, being the second most downloaded dating app behind Tinder. Dating apps across the board have seen a significant drop in stock since the pandemic. Bumble’s shares are down 80% compared to 2021.
Dating apps are reinventing the space to attract more people since 80% of app users currently say they “often feel emotionally, mentally, or physically exhausted by dating apps,” according to a new Forbes survey.
To address this dating app fatigue, Bumble is rolling out a new plan.
Since its origin in 2014, Bumble’s biggest difference from its competitors was allowing women to make the first move and send the first message. Men wanting to message women had to wait for a woman to show interest first.
Now, that feature has changed and anyone can start up the conversation. Bumble is also making that part of the process easier for its users, including AI-generated messages to send new matches.
For now, the AI-generated “concierge” is just a concept but an example of what the future of Bumble could soon look like.
At the same Bloomberg Technology Summit, Herd went on about the impacts AI could have in the industry. While the idea of an AI concierge doing the work for users may seem like its removing human interaction, the founder said this is just the beginning of using artificial intelligence to bring more people together.
“We will not be a dating app in a few years,” Herd said. “Dating will be a component. We will be a true human connection platform. This is where you’ll meet anyone you want to meet — a hiking buddy, a Mahjong buddy, whatever you’re looking for. Our focus with AI is to build more healthy and equitable relationships.”
