Fed up with dating? AI might be able to do that for you, too.
Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd discussed how AI could influence modern dating at the Bloomberg Technology Summit this week.
During a conversation with Bloomberg's Emily Chang, Wolfe Herd said Bumble hopes to use AI to foster "healthy and equitable relationships," noting that the technology could help take pressure off of human users.
She floated the idea of an "AI dating concierge" as an example.
"You could, in the near future, be talking to your AI dating concierge," Wolfe Herd said. "You could share your insecurities."
Wolfe Herd said AI could advise human users on navigating those insecurities and communicating with others.
"If you want to get really out there, there is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierge," she said.
When the audience chuckled, Wolfe Herd responded: "No. No. Truly."
"And then you don't have to talk to 600 people. It could scan all of San Francisco for you and say, 'These are the three people you really ought to meet,'" Wolfe Herd said. "So that's the power of AI if harnessed the right way."
Wolfe Herd also talked about AI and dating with Bloomberg in September 2023. During an appearance on "The Circuit with Emily Chang," Wolfe Herd said AI could help modern daters by teaching them how to flirt.
"The average US single doesn't date because they don't know how to flirt, or they're scared they don't know how," she said. "What if you can leverage the chatbot to instill confidence, to help someone feel really secure before they go and talk to a bunch of people they don't know?"
Wolfe Herd served as CEO of Bumble until January 2024, when the former CEO of Slack Technologies, Lidiane Jones, took over.
Recently, Bumble announced it would no longer require women to send the first message, marking a shift from its signature feature.
Jones said in a press release that the new feature, dubbed "Opening Moves," would give women more flexibility in engaging with matches. The feature allows women to set a question that all their matches can respond to, including men.
"In listening to our community, many have shared their exhaustion with the current online dating experience, and for some, that includes making the first move," Jones said. "We're also hearing from women that empowerment today is not only about control but it's also about agency, and we're excited to offer more choice in how women make the first move with our new Opening Moves feature."
