Bumble CEO Predicts AI Will Teach Singles How To Flirt – 9/6/2023 – Tech

There are many predictions about the future of artificial intelligence that border on Black Mirror territory, but perhaps the most disturbing is how AI could change the nature of relationships. Are we going to fall in love with our computers? Will kids prefer their AI tutors over humans?

Whatever happens, people are likely to still seek the company of others. And technology might be able to help. For example, artificial intelligence could make singles better at dating, according to Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of one of the most popular dating apps, Bumble.

“In general, single adults in America don’t date because they don’t know how to flirt, or are afraid they don’t,” said Wolfe Herd on this week’s episode of The Circuit With Emily Chang. “What if you could leverage the chatbot to instill confidence, help someone feel really safe before they go and talk to a bunch of people they don’t know?”

Humanity could use some assistance. The US Surgeon General has declared loneliness an epidemic, with more than half of adults reporting feelings of loneliness. Most people under 30 have tried using online dating apps, but a survey by Match Group, a competitor to Bumble, found that people are growing weary of using these dating apps.

Wolfe Herd is thinking hard about how technology can make a difference. For example, artificial intelligence could improve the quality of combinations, as she put it, “powering destiny”. She is also looking to help people find not just romantic partners, but platonic friends as well. Recently, Bumble released a separate app called BFF for finding friends.

“We’re really building something that nobody has built before,” said Wolfe Herd. “We’re building a complete relationship business.”