Online dating in the future may be much different, Hinge CEO and founder Justin McLeod said in a recent interview with Fast Company.
McLeod described how artificial intelligence can replace mindless swiping with more tailored matchmaking. He predicted that this would take place three to five years from now or sooner than that.
Rethinking How Users Connect
Hinge has been a star performer in the world of online dating. According to Business Insider, McLeod likened today's app interactions to "trying to communicate your tastes and preferences to us using Morse code of likes and passes."
Platforms currently can't fully understand why an individual likes or passes on a person. In the future, AI may alter that by enabling individuals to express their values, tastes, and priorities in their own voice, then applying that knowledge to propose suitable matches.
Fighting Online Dating Burnout
Online dating users are growing frustrated with several problems, but Hinge's AI is here to address them. Users cite swiping exhaustion and a greater desire for real-life connections. However, Hinge has managed to succeed despite these issues.
Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff complimented the app's performance during a recent earnings call, stating, "Simply put, Hinge is crushing it."
The statistics support Rascoff's optimism. Hinge's paying users grew 18% year-over-year to 1.7 million. Revenue per paying user also increased 6% to almost $32, propelling the app to $168 million in the second quarter, a 25% increase from last year.
AI Won't Replace Human Connection
Though Hinge is moving forward with AI for making recommendations more precise and pushing for more detailed profiles, McLeod was adamant that the technology must never be used to replace genuine human interaction.
"I don't think that an AI chatbot should be your friend, or certainly not your boyfriend or girlfriend. It certainly shouldn't be something that we start engaging with as an end in itself just for entertainment or, I would say, artificial intimacy or artificial connection," McLeod said in a podcast last month.
He cautioned against producing "artificial intimacy" that ultimately feels empty. His position is the antithesis of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has hinted that AI chatbots may be able to fight loneliness by mimicking friendship.
McLeod referred to that approach as "extraordinarily reductive," contending that real friendships require actual human presence.
Originally published on Tech Times
