Tinder launches AI game to groom users for 'real life'

​Tinder has launched "The Game Game," an in-app chatbot designed to provide users with a supposed playful, judgment-free environment to experiment and build confidence before engaging in real-life conversations. 

Hillary Paine, Tinder's Vice President of Product, Growth, and Revenue, said, "The goal is to give users a fun, judgment-free space to experiment and potentially build a little confidence before stepping into IRL conversations."​

This initiative is part of Tinder's broader strategy to re-engage Gen Z users, who constitute approximately half of its user base. 

The app has faced challenges since 2023, experiencing a decline in subscribers and projecting that brand revenue may not return to growth until 2027. 

Tinder now aims to "bring the fun back to Tinder" and is implementing measures to eliminate fake profiles and bad actors. Other features under consideration include a double-dating option and incentives for consistent app usage over a week.​

"The Game Game," Paine said, is limited-time and its exaggerated nature is intended "to help keep the experience light and prevent over-reliance." 

Tinder collaborated with OpenAI last summer, testing audio models, and has since integrated additional safeguards into the game. These include detecting hate speech and using OpenAI's moderation technology to terminate conversations involving sensitive topics or uncomfortable advances.​

In 2024, Match Group, Tinder's parent company, secured over 1,000 ChatGPT enterprise licenses through an agreement with OpenAI. 

Other dating apps, such as Grindr Inc., are also exploring AI-powered features to assist users in crafting chat responses or suggesting date venues.​

The online dating landscape in India has experienced significant growth. Bumble reported surpassing 4 million users in the country by August 2022, with women initiating conversations over 15 million times and sending twice the number of messages compared to global averages. 

According to a report, overall, India's dating services sector has expanded rapidly, with the number of users quadrupling over the previous five years to reach over 82 million in 2023. The surge positions India as the world's fastest-growing dating services market, outpacing the growth rates of the United States and China.

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