Dating Apps Are Betting AI Can Save Online Dating
Dating is exhausting, cocktails cost $22, and the industry’s answer is... more technology. Over 75% of Gen Z users feel burned out by dating apps, as run clubs and book clubs quietly absorb an exodus of would-be swipers. To rekindle the spark, dating apps are launching an AI-fueled overhaul, and early numbers indicate it’s landing.
- BumbleBMBL is leading the charge — launching "Bee," an AI matchmaker replacing the swipe, alongside richer profiles and a full app reimagining due in Q4.
- It comes as paying users fell 21% and revenue dropped 14% — a decline Bumble called “intentional,” trading scale for a higher-quality, more active member base.
Swipe fever: WhileBMBL sits down 43.5% in the past year, the thesis is finding traction elsewhere. Match Group’sMTCH Tinder posted new user growth for the first time since 2024 after adding safety features, compatibility tools, and group dating options. Not everyone is convinced it will work though, as ex-Hinge content lead Ilana Dunn argues, “unless [the apps] are really pushing people to meet in real life ... I don’t know that they will make the comeback.” The competition isn’t just between a better algorithm anymore, but maybe the swipe was never the point.