Match Group says singles want AI help
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Singles see AI as a dating tool, not as a dating prospect, according to new Match Group data shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: Daters want AI to reduce friction, but many draw a line at using chatbots as substitutes for human relationships.
Driving the news: Match Group — the owner of Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, OkCupid and others — surveyed approximately 1,000 U.S. singles ages 18 to 39 about their beliefs, expectations and concerns around AI, dating and relationships.
- 74% of them say they use ChatGPT and roughly 64% say AI helps them create a stronger dating profile, keep dating app conversations going and start a conversation.
- But nearly half of those surveyed, 47%, view AI negatively in the context of romantic relationships.
- Two in five of the singles say they would refuse to date someone who uses an AI companion app. Among women ages 18 to 24, that rises to 51%.
Reality check: Despite the panic around AI companions stealing human partners and training young people to avoid relationships, most Americans remain largely uninterested in falling for a bot.
- According to Pew Research data out this week from a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults, very few are turning to chatbots for emotional support (10%) or companionship (4%).
- And few say chatbots affect their relationships either way: 6% say they help, 7% say they hurt and 35% say they neither help nor hurt.
My thought bubble: Using AI just to outsource the hard stuff on dating apps can have unintended consequences. Some kinds of friction can be surprisingly useful.
- Writing your own profile can help you understand what you're looking for in a partner.
- Starting and sustaining your own conversations can reveal whether there's real compatibility.
The bottom line: AI is helpful when it reduces dating app friction, but using it too much can hinder authentic connection.
