AI already wants to be your hype man, therapist and companion. Now it also wants to find you a date.

The big picture: Established dating apps and startups are using AI to overcome swipe fatigue.

• Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd teased the app's AI assistant "Bee" coming later this year in an interview with Axios.

Zoom in: Startup Amata coordinates some 2,000 first dates a month. Users who agree to the AI matchmaker's pairing purchase a $20 "date token," and the app plans the details.

Another approach: With Joey AI, there's no swiping. There's not even an app. It starts with a phone call between an interested single and their AI matchmaker.

In an Australian accent, the AI asks your name, job and basic dating preferences, and then goes deeper: How important is politics in your relationships? What time did you wake up today? How often have you talked with your family this week?

• After users are verified and photos are shared, Joey connects hopeful romantics via text.

For startup Known, users talk to an AI matchmaker and pay $15 to secure their real-life hang.

• The goal, says co-founder and CEO Celeste Amadon, is to feel like you're being introduced by a friend who "understands you really, really well, but knows everybody in your city instead of a couple hundred people."

Singles see AI as a dating tool, not a dating prospect, according to new Match Group data.

• Many draw a line at substituting chatbots 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 AI, dating and relationships.

• 74% say they use ChatGPT and roughly 64% say AI helps create a stronger dating profile, make conversation and plan dates.
• But nearly half of those surveyed view AI negatively in the context of romantic relationships.
• Two in five 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, most Americans remain largely uninterested in falling for a bot.

• According to Pew Research data from a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults, very few are turning to chatbots for emotional support (10%) or companionship (4%).

Joe Redner, the longtime owner of the Mons Venus strip club who was known for defending nude dancing as protected speech, died Friday at 86. Redner was also an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and medical marijuana. (Tampa Bay Times)

🔎 ICYMI: St. Petersburg City Council members voted to create a citizen committee overseeing money raised from a potential new tax to speed up water, sewage and drainage improvements. (Times)

• Voters will decide in the Nov. 3 election whether the city can levy the tax.

🗳️ Early voting starts today across the Tampa Bay area. Check with your county supervisor of elections office for hours and locations.

Since the pandemic and as Gen Z has come of age, people looking for love have soured on swiping.

• But approaching and connecting with strangers in real life is a different skill — and for many daters, a rusty one.

By the numbers: Singles events on Eventbrite doubled from 2022 to 2025, according to data shared with Axios.

People are looking for love at running clubs, private dinners — even wrestling speed dating. They're playing beer pong tournaments and giving PowerPoint presentations to pitch their single friends.

Zoom in: George Rawlings, co-founder of dating app Thursday, is betting that singles are ready to put down their phones and meet face-to-face.

• His platform, which is now active in nearly 200 cities worldwide — including Tampa — hosts curated events, from bar takeovers to pottery classes to ski trips.

Take three simple steps to getting out more:

1. Block the time. Reserve "two social days a week for the next month" between 6 and 9pm, says Maria Avgitidis, CEO of executive matchmaking service Agape Match.

2. Leave room for spontaneity. Before COVID, getting unplanned, after-work drinks was common. Now it's less so.

• Pack shoes, a necklace, whatever you need to transition from day to night. When an invite comes up, say yes. Better yet: Initiate.

3. Volunteer. Showing up at a regular volunteer function twice a month could lead to a BBQ or birthday party invite — and a whole new social circle.

Dating app fatigue is driving younger users away, but one demographic is just discovering the swipe: seniors.

Why it matters: As more older Americans live longer and increasingly alone, they're looking for love the new-fashioned way.

Zoom in: Apps including Match and OurTime "provide access and opportunity that may not exist organically in everyday life, especially after retirement, relocation, divorce or the loss of a partner," says Michael Kaye, director of communications at Match.com.

• AARP calls Match the best site for "serious relationships" for seniors.

By the numbers: 60% of adults 65+ started using dating apps within the past three years, per a UserTesting survey of 217 U.S. adults in this age group.

• 30% started within the past year.

Here's how to get started on the apps:

1. Build an honest profile with recent photos. Write a bio that highlights your interests and what you're looking for.

2. Don't send money or share financial details. Use the app's messaging system before moving to personal email or phone calls.

• Meet in public places for first dates. Tell a friend or family member about your plans.

3. Avoid sharing too much personal information early (address, full name, financial details). Red flags include quick professions of love, requests for money or inconsistent stories.

Friction point: AI advancements are making it much easier for scammers to create fake profiles.

• Nearly 1 in 10 adults over 50 say they've had an online romantic connection that turned into a request for money or crypto, according to AARP data released in February.