How AI is Changing Dating Apps Like Hinge, Match and Grindr

Dating has been a digital pursuit for years now.

Tinder was first launched in 2012 and in the years since, dating apps have become the norm.

But as the generation those apps first catered for settles down and a new era of daters start explore their options, it appears as though dating apps may have lost that spark.

Many of the industry's titans have acknowledged that they are struggling to appeal to Gen Z users, many of whom have grown weary of traditional swipe-and-text interactions.

In an attempt to rekindle that flame, several of the sector's largest services are turning to AI.

Some are using AI chatbots to coach daters, others are going offering algorithmic matchmaking, many are implementing automated safety screening.

But are these technological advances doing the trick?

What is an ‘AI wingman’?

Grindr, which has more than 12 million monthly users, is planning the full rollout of its AI "wingman" tool by 2027.

The chatbot, currently in beta testing with around 10,000 users, operates as a digital assistant that can write responses for users, help identify suitable matches and plan dates.

Unlike more restrictive AI systems, Grindr's wingman provides frank advice on intimate topics whilst maintaining educational boundaries.

George Arison, the app’s CEO, describes the chatbot as "surprisingly flirtatious" and positioned it as part of the app's evolution.

"This is not just a hookup product anymore," he says, emphasising the platform's broader ambitions.

The AI system processes data through AWS' Bedrock platform but cannot access real-time internet information, which limits its ability to provide up-to-date details on venues or operating hours, for example.

AJ Balance, Chief Product Officer at Grindr, says the technology can offer chat summaries and compatibility insights based on previous conversations.

"It's really about reminding you what type of connection you might have had with this user and what might be good topics that could be worth picking back up on," he explains.

Reece Rogers, who reviewed Grindr’s new AI tool for WIRED, was surprised by the possibilities it offers, especially when it comes to talking with users about their sexuality.

“Despite my lingering scepticism about the wingman tool potentially being more of an AI fad than the actual future of dating, I do see immediate value in a chatbot that can help users come to terms with their sexuality and start the coming out process,” he says.

Match Group's strategic pivot

Match Group, the owner of Tinder and Hinge, has made appealing to younger demographics central to its recovery strategy under CEO Spencer Rascoff, who took control in March.

Spencer says the company is making "bold product bets" to connect with Gen Z users who are "redefining what it means to date".

The strategy includes AI-powered features such as chatbot assistants that help generate icebreakers and improve user interactions.

These technological interventions come as Match Group's share price has plummeted more than 80% since its highest point in 2021.

CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, is optimistic about the effects AI and data analytics can have, not just on his business, but on the dating world as a whole.

“That there’s two main vectors that AI is going to impact: dating and matchmaking,” he says. 

“I think the big story is AI is going to move Hinge much closer to the experience of working with a personalised matchmaking service and away from the experience of feeling that you are joining a social platform on your own as you try to find your person.

“So what does that mean? Two big pieces. One is personalised matching and the other is effective coaching. 

“On the personalised matching front, we should be able to move much further beyond the world we are in today, which is our users speaking to us in essentially Morse code as they try to communicate to us what they like and what they don’t like.”

Beyond traditional matching algorithms

Justin’s statements here do indeed appear to indicate the direction of travel for dating apps across the board.

More and more, it seems, we will start to see AI used to determine the compatibility of two individuals.

It’s not just about matchmaking, though.

Increasingly technology is being used to improve the safety of dating apps, with executives from both Grindr and Match Group citing the importance of this focus. 

These features include automated systems screening for inappropriate content and potential threats before users even interact.

So far, it appears as though these technological changes are yielding pretty good results among those target demographics.

People aged 18 to 24 now form 21% of Tinder's users, up from 17% three years ago, according to market insight firm Sensor Tower.

Hinge has seen its Gen Z user base grow 17% to roughly 56% of its total audience, while monthly users jumped from 9.5 million in 2023 to more than 11 million in 2025.

Challenges for the industry

Despite these technological advances, fundamental challenges remain across the dating app sector.

Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd warned employees earlier this month that she was "worried" the company may not exist next year without significant cost reductions.

She cautioned that dating apps were "feeling like a thing of the past".

The industry faces declining user engagement as younger consumers report fatigue with perceived superficial interactions and concerns about safety.

Elsewhere, some platforms are adopting a back-to-basics approach, aimed at those feeling the fatigue of digital dating.

Breeze is a platform which involves no texting, instead just giving two users a time and a place where they have to meet.

This radical simplification seems to be going down well with the more than 200,000 active users on the app.

Marco van der Woude, Co-Founder of Breeze, says the "typical user is someone who is done with dating apps" and "tired of swiping and tired of chatting".

The success of such stripped-down alternatives suggests AI alone may not solve the industry's engagement crisis.

Dating platforms face the challenge of using technology to create more authentic human connections while avoiding the algorithmic complexity that has contributed to user fatigue.