LOS ANGELES TIMES – Tinder is expanding its in-person singles events following a successful LA pilot, adding nine cities across the US and Europe and planning to reach another 16 markets by September. Events include rooftop yoga, hikes and brewery meetups organized with existing local providers, with users able to see interested attendees and connect after an event. Tinder has held ~60 events in Los Angeles, and 71% of users aged 18 to 24 engaged with the events tab.
CNN – Dating apps are on the cusp of a major transformation. Personalized chatbots dating other chatbots on your behalf. AI concierges fielding questions about potential matches. Advanced algorithms predicting compatibility better than ever before. At its investor meeting, Match Group teased plans to use AI to improve user experiences and help make better connections. Hinge will offer more personalized matching, smarter algorithms that adapt to users and better understand them over time, and AI coaching for struggling daters. AI is going to transform the dating app experience, taking it from a do-it-yourself platform to an expertly guided journey that leads to far better outcomes and much better value. Bumble uses AI in safety features like its Private Detector – an AI-powered tool that blurs explicit images – and Deception Detector, which identifies spam, scams and fake profiles. Similarly, Match Group offers tools like buttons that say “Are You Sure?” to detect harmful language and “Does This Bother You?” to prompt users to report inappropriate behavior. Startup Rizz is experimenting with chatbots that help respond to messages. During Match Group’s investor day, Hinge’s CEO, Justin McLeod announced plans to build the “world’s most knowledgeable dating coach.” Hinge has seen a higher number of matches and subscription renewals with its improved AI algorithm among early test groups.
by Samantha Murphy Kelly
See full article at CNN
Mark Brooks: Large incumbent dating companies are sitting pretty because of large troves of data that can be used to inform AI to help move people towards finding better matches, improve their dates, and then make better decisions about what to do next.
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MASHABLE – Sep 16 – Dating sites are collecting an enormous amount of data about how people look for a partner. "We keep refining our algorithms," said Amarnath Thombre, president of Match.com. "We take historical data into account, as well as distance, and what people say they want in a partner and who they are pursuing." In the future, Match.com wants to use facial recognition technology, which allows users to highlight the features they are most attracted to so the site can provide them with better matches. HowAboutWe's focus is on offline. "It's difficult to predict chemistry online," said Aaron Schildkrout, HowAboutWe co-founder and co-CEO. "That's why we focus is on actual dates. It’s only after you achieve significant liquidity in a market that you can build a useful algorithm."