Bumble founder: Future of dating could be one AI talking to another

Karah Rucker

THE DATING WORLD IS EVOLVING.

IT USED TO BE – YOU HAD TO MEET PEOPLE IN PERSON.

THEN CAME THE INTERNET – AND YOU COULD MEET PEOPLE VIRTUALLY.

AND NOW COMES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE –

WHERE YOUR “AI CONCIERGE” COULD SOON DO IT ALL FOR YOU.

YOUR AI BOT COULD MEET OTHER AI BOTS ON YOUR BEHALF TO FIND YOUR BEST MATCH.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO BUMBLE’S FOUNDER.

“There is a world out there where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierges, no no truly, then you don’t have to talk to 600 people. We would scan all of san francisco for you and be like these are the three people you should really meet.” 

BUMBLE DOMINATES IN THE DATING APP SPACE –

BEING THE SECOND MOST DOWNLOADED BEHIND TINDER.

BUT DATING APPS ACROSS THE BOARD HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN STOCK SINCE THE PANDEMIC –

BUMBLES SHARES ARE DOWN 80% COMPARED TO 2021.

DATINGS APPS ARE REINVENTING THE SPACE TO ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE.

BECAUSE RIGHT NOW – 

80% OF APP USERS SAY THEY “OFTEN FEEL EMOTIONALLY, MENTALLY, OR PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTED BY DATING APPS” ACCORDING TO A NEW FORBES SURVEY.

TO ADDRESS THIS “APP FATIGUE” –

BUMBLE IS ROLLING OUT A NEW PLAN.

SINCE ITS ORIGIN IN 2014 – BUMBLE’S BIGGEST DIFFERENCE FROM ITS COMPETITORS WAS ALLOWING WOMEN TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE AND SEND THE FIRST MESSAGE. WHICH MEANS MEN WANTING TO MESSAGE WOMEN – HAD TO WAIT FOR A WOMAN TO SHOW INTEREST FIRST.

NOW – THAT’S CHANGED. AND ANYONE CAN START UP THE CONVO.

BUMBLE IS ALSO MAKING THAT PART OF THE PROCESS EASIER FOR ITS USERS.

INCLUDING A-I GENERATED MESSAGES TO SEND NEW MATCHES.

FOR NOW –

THE A-I GENERATED “CONCIERGE” – IS JUST A CONCEPT.

BUT AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE FUTURE OF BUMBLE COULD SOON LOOK LIKE.

AT THE SAME BLOOMBERG SUMMIT –

BUMBLE’S FOUNDER WENT ON ABOUT THE IMPACTS A-I COULD HAVE IN THE INDUSTRY.

AND WHILE THE IDEA OF AN “A-I CONCIERGE” DOING THE WORK FOR YOU MAY SEEM LIKE ITS REMOVING HUMAN INTERACTION ON AN APP MADE FOR HUMAN INTERACTION –

THE FOUNDER SAYS THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TOGETHER.

“We will not be a dating app in a few years. Dating will be a component. We will be a true human connection platform. This is where you’ll meet anyone you want to meet, a hiking buddy, a mahjong buddy, whatever you’re looking for.”

“Our focus with ai is to build more healthy and equitable relationships.”