Hinge wants users to skip the small talk. Instead of opening with a generic “Hey,” the dating app today (Dec. 8) launched an A.I. feature designed to help users start more interesting conversations. Known as Convo Starters, the new tool pulls from a match’s profile to suggest personalized opening lines. A photo of someone playing soccer, for example, might inspire a prompt about post-game celebrations. The tool reflects Hinge’s broader effort—shared by many dating apps—to embrace A.I. carefully without turning off daters wary of too much automation.
“We’ve heard from daters that not knowing what to say can hold them back from sending a comment at all,” said Jackie Jantos, Hinge’s president, in a statement. “With Convo Starters, we’re easing that pressure.”
Hinge says the feature was inspired by research showing how much first impressions matter. Around 72 percent of daters are more likely to consider someone who sends a message alongside a like, the company found. Early testing of Convo Starters boosted users’ confidence, with more than a third saying they felt more comfortable reaching out to matches.
Hinge, founded in 2011, was one of the popular dating apps blamed for creating a “dating apocalypse,” a term coined in 2015 that led its founder, Justin Mcleod, to rethink the purpose of social media.
Still, not everyone is thrilled by A.I.’s expanding role in online dating. Gen Z users, in particular, are less comfortable than older generations with using A.I. to draft prompts or craft replies, according to a recent survey by Bloomberg Intelligence. Half of the respondents said they didn’t need the technology to create profiles or communicate with matches.
Amid rising demand for authentic interactions, dating apps risk making the experience “easier but, at the same time, more superficial, more shallow,” Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor at Arizona State University who studies technology’s role in dating, told Observer.
Hinge emphasized that Convo Starters are optional and that A.I. won’t write messages itself—only suggest topics users can build on.
A.I. already powers a variety of other features at Hinge, including its recommendation system, coaching tools and safety features that remove accounts engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Other dating apps have also embraced the technology. Tinder—like Hinge, owned by Match Group—is testing an A.I. tool that scans a user’s camera roll to suggest the strongest profile photos. Grindr offers an A.I. “wingman” for tips, while Bumble uses A.I. to detect and blur explicit images on the app.
The industry is navigating a delicate balance as A.I. becomes more prominent. While icebreaker tools like Convo Starts “can be really helpful,” they could also heighten concerns about deception if daters over-rely on A.I. to communicate, according to Sharabi.
“It’s a really pivotal moment in the industry,” she said. “They have to figure out how are we going to embrace this, and how are we going to integrate it, without having this just completely destroy the experience to where no one can trust anyone anymore.”
