Key Takeaways
- Tinder recently launched “The Game Game,” an AI game to help users practice flirting in a fun, low-pressure environment with real-time feedback.
- AI may help users build authentic dating skills by boosting their confidence and encouraging real-world conversations.
- Tinder’s AI functions as a playful, confidence-boosting tool, helping users feel more grounded and authentic when dating.
Need to brush up on your flirting skills? Tinder has a new AI chat for that.
On April 1, Tinder launched The Game Game, an AI chat experience designed to help users hone their flirting skills.
The game is deceptively simple: The user is given a dating scenario and must respond vocally (and flirtatiously) to the conversation initiated by the AI chatbot. The scenario is usually something outrageous, which, according to Tinder, is a strategic move that helps “take the pressure off” so users can “test [their] game without overthinking it.”
At the end of the conversation, users will receive a score, as well as real-time feedback on their dating skills.
The game, powered by OpenAI, comes at a sensitive time for Gen Z daters. With widespread financial instability, not to mention a persistent loneliness epidemic, today’s young daters are in need of clear, judgement-free dating advice that helps them access their authentic selves.
And instead of seeking out a flesh-and-blood dating coach, young daters are more open to intuitive AI-powered solutions than ever.
Does Flirting With AI Lead To Authenticity?
It sounds backward, pairing artificial intelligence with authenticity. But Tinder doesn’t see it that way. The game’s existence suggests that people are receptive to intuitive AI features that offer novelty and skill-building in equal measure.
According to Tinder’s 2023 Future of Dating Report, it’s also a way for Gen Z daters to achieve the authenticity that 64% of them say they crave in the early stages of their relationships. The report emphasized Gen Z’s enthusiasm for AI solutions, as long as tech doesn’t impinge on authenticity.
“This project gave us a chance to experiment with how AI can make dating a little more fun and a little less intimidating,” Alex Osborne, Sr. Director of Product Innovation at Match Group, said. And the less intimidated Tinder users are, the more likely they are to be their authentic selves.
A key point: Young daters don’t necessarily want artificial intelligence to speak for them. They do, however, want to learn how to speak as confidently with a real person as they can with a chatbot.
“Gen Z is happy for AI to help them build out a dating profile (34%) but at the same time there’s little interest in generic, auto-filled profiles that lack the authenticity that is held in such high regard,” the report found.
Sara Caldwell, Head of Go-To-Market Readiness at OpenAI, made it clear that AI tech can — and, perhaps, should — only do so much on apps that prioritize intercommunication. “We’re continuing to work with platforms like Tinder that are deploying OpenAI thoughtfully in their products to help people build practical skills and confidence,” she said.
Osborne suggested that, when done right, intuitive AI technology can operate as something resembling an AI dating coach, wingman, or even counselor. “We worked with OpenAI to create something that’s lighthearted but rooted in real tech — blending personality, feedback, and just enough playfulness to keep people on their toes.”
By keeping users on their toes, Tinder’s AI tech teaches daters how to feel more grounded in the dating world.
