The Scene
Artificial intelligence is infiltrating many aspects of daily life, and dating is no different. Startups are developing bots that can flirt, Gen Z is courting artificial “werewolf boyfriends,” and popular dating sites like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble are brewing their own AI cocktails.
The efforts signal that AI will be the next big leap in online dating, but companies are running up against years’ worth of faltering relationships with their users. Many singles are burnt out from swiping through profiles, repetitive conversations, and getting ghosted. Young people are increasingly critical of the apps, and it is unclear if adding more technology will bring users back. The reelection of Donald Trump has even caused some young liberal women to rethink looking for a partner at all.
Hinge CEO Justin McLeod spoke with Semafor about how the matchmaking capabilities offered by AI will transform the industry in the next few years, and how to convince users the tech is worth their time.
The View From Justin McLeod
Rachyl Jones: Is online dating broken?
Justin McLeod: There are legitimate opportunities and issues in the category that I set out to solve when I created Hinge. I think to some extent — we made a lot of progress — they still exist. And what’s being presented now by AI will allow us to dramatically address those issues.
What exactly is the AI opportunity that has been created?
One is personalized, intelligent matching — a more nuanced approach to understanding people’s tastes and what they are looking for, being able to use that information to make much smarter matches and give you some insight into why.
The second piece is guidance and coaching. We do a lot of research into what works, what doesn’t. We publish it in “date reports,” but most people don’t read those things. Even if they do, they have trouble applying them. Imagine the world’s most knowledgeable dating coach who can sit with you during your experience and help, from the simple stuff like writing a better prompt or choosing a better photo to the more nuanced territory of navigating the ups and downs of the dating journey — people feeling frustrated and helping them figure out what they can do better.
What exactly does that look like?
Getting a little bit of extra context about who you are and what you’re looking for. It doesn’t necessarily fit the filter, but is you in your own words. If you’re really into outdoorsy people and we see that someone else’s photo is in the outdoors — making those kinds of connections, which right now, we don’t make.
And it’s feedback on tactical things. “Hey, you’ve been messaging this person for a while. It might be time to ask them on a date.” It’s those little nudges and longer term, helping people get clear on their dating goals and how to achieve them.
Since Hinge introduced roses and expanded its subscription business, some feel that their more compatible matches are behind a paywall. Is this true?
No. You’re trying to match up millions of people with each other. It’s a very delicate system. Our goal is to try to get you out on dates with people that you’re going to like and that are going to like you back, while not overwhelming some users with incoming likes. The opportunity from Standouts was really to say: “If you want to have an opportunity with someone who’s getting more interest, you can do that. But it’s in your best interest to send a rose, because that’s how you’ll get attention.” I literally just went to a wedding of a friend, Adam, who sent a rose to a Standout.
People don’t like companies slicing things into a bunch of different subscription tiers, which has happened at Hinge, and more broadly, in dating apps. How do you pitch this to customers who were once using it for free?
What was free continues to be free, and we try to add more value so that people want to pay. We have a principle that we only charge for what we can’t give away for free. If we gave everyone unlimited roses and boosts for free, they wouldn’t mean anything anymore. Similarly, with premium filters or all these other pieces we put in a subscription — we found they actually hurt people’s chances to find a match if we give them to everybody.
What might you say to people who are skeptical of further integrating technology into online dating?
I think people are right to be skeptical. It’s in how we use the technology, just like anything else. Hinge has been very principled in our approach. AI ultimately needs to stand behind us and help us come together and connect, and not stand between us and distract us from connecting with each other — or feel like we’re connecting with AI, which is not the goal.
Do you think the online dating phenomenon was more of a millennial thing than a Gen Z one?
We need to continue to evolve with technology and with culture. At the same time, Gen Z is our largest segment. It’s a growing segment across all of our markets. The need for intimate human connection is not going to go away.
The 4B movement seems to be catching on in the US. Are women swearing off men?
I’ve read about that. We have not seen it.
Can Republicans and Democrats date?
My hope and belief is yes, because I believe in people adding dialogue and talking to each other, but I don’t have any data on that. We are a very nonpolitical organization.
You were acquired a few years ago by Match Group, which also owns Tinder, OKCupid, and Match. Why does a holding company for dating apps make sense?
I think that’s probably something you’d have to ask Match Group about, but I think they believe in a portfolio approach. There are different apps at different life stages and with different strategies, but there are some common things like trust and safety, and core AI innovation, where learnings can be shared.
Looking five to 10 years from now, do you see people dating more online than they are now, or less?
More than today, and more than meeting in real life. I am all for people meeting and hanging out in real life. At the same time, advances that will happen in terms of our ability to match you up really intelligently with someone great — I don’t think searching for someone in real life will hold a candle to that.