Tinder Lets Users Flirt With AI

Tinder is releasing a game that allows users to flirt with an OpenAI-powered chatbot, so they can get better at turning their matches into dates.

The Big Picture: The AI-ification of every aspect of our lives continues with Tinder’s digital version of Hitch. While chatting it up with a bot may feel awkward, it could catch on if it actually is successful in converting conversations into IRL meet-ups… especially after a Tinder study found that “64% of young singles are totally fine with a little cringe if it leads to a real connection.”

Between the Messages: There’s now a game to figure out how much game you’ve got.

• Tinder’s The Game Game lets users flirt with OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.
• The game deals a user a card from a virtual stack, with each card “introducing a different AI persona and a hilariously exaggerated rom-com scenario,” per Fast Company.
• The player’s job is to flirt through each scenario — like having luggage mixed up at the airport or stepping on someone’s sunglasses at the beach.
• The chatbot (which always sends the first message) will give users feedback on their answers in real-time. Users win when they successfully land a date… in three minutes.

The Future: Tinder will only let you play five sessions of The Game Game per day, because it still wants you chatting with actual humans at some point (sorry, no AI relationships allowed here). It’s doubtful that Tinder wants you to take this game too seriously… but with a Forbes Health survey finding that 79% of Gen Zers are burnt out by dating apps (and, therefore, engagement on Tinder), this could get people swiping again.