Meta Introduces AI Assistant for Facebook Dating

Meta unveiled on Monday that it will be incorporating an AI assistant into Facebook Dating. This new AI-powered feature is designed to help users find matches that are more precisely aligned with their preferences. For instance, users can ask the AI to search for specific traits like "a Brooklyn girl in tech," or request assistance in refining their profile for better matches.

Additionally, Meta is introducing a new feature called Meet Cute aimed at reducing "swipe fatigue." This feature will offer users a weekly "surprise match," selected based on an algorithm that curates matches according to their preferences.

Facebook Dating has seen a 10% year-over-year growth in matches among adults aged 18 to 29, with hundreds of thousands of users from this age group signing up for Facebook Dating profiles every month. While this growth is notable, it still lags behind competitors like Tinder, which boasts about 50 million daily active users, and Hinge, with 10 million daily active users.

AI features have already become a standard in many mainstream dating apps. For example, newer platforms like Sitch are setting themselves apart by integrating AI into their features. Match Group — the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, OK Cupid, and others — made a significant move last year by partnering with OpenAI and investing over $20 million in AI. This investment has already led to the development of tools such as Tinder's AI photo selector, which scans users' camera rolls to select profile pictures, as well as AI-powered matchmaking. Hinge has also introduced a feature that enables users to enhance their responses to profile prompts with the help of AI.

Bumble has followed suit, incorporating similar AI features. Its founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, stirred controversy last year when suggesting that, in the future, users might have personal "AI concierges" that would go on dates with other people's AIs to assess compatibility.