Grindr announces plans for ‘AI wingman’ feature
An “AI wingman” tool is being tested by LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr to help users find a match.
The feature is being tested by a small group of regular users, with the number expected to expand to 1,000 by the end of the year, and 10,000 by the end of 2025, before reaching Grindr’s full audience of 14 million by 2027.
The wingman will reportedly keep track of each user’s matches and make tailored suggestions based on conversations. The AI bots will even be able to talk to one another and end with a “robust view” of their respective matches when the time comes to meet in person.
Chief executive George Arison told The Wall Street Journal: “I always knew that AI was going to be a really big deal, and as we saw where generative AI was going, I realised a lot of this extension stuff can actually be done by AI.”
However, there are fears that the feature could pose privacy risks and unwittingly out someone as queer when it isn’t safe.
Grindr’s reputation is also giving some cause for concern given that user’s locations were collected and sold using the dating app’s ad networks in the past.
Nevertheless, Arison is intent on making AI “more gay” by incorporating it into the platform, using what he called “empathetic AI technology” by training the model on Grindr’s own data.
“Loneliness and depression are a really big problem for our community,” he said, adding that AI could become a place where users openly discuss their feelings.
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