Belle Lin
Appearances
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
I think it's a little bit of both. From the investor perspective for the dating apps, they're really hoping to see an increase in paid subscriber numbers and user growth and revenue. And AI sort of promises that because there's really not that much else that the apps can sort of turn to at this point.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
It's really technological innovation that they hope can drive the numbers that their investors are hoping to see. But at the same time, The way that technology is moving, it was only a matter of time until it came for dating apps.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
Yeah, that's an open question. I'm pretty skeptical of the fact that AI is propped up as this sort of, as long as we roll out these certain features and introduce them to our user base, then people will use them. That's a sort of story we've seen before, and it doesn't always end well. For AI to take on higher order work, there are big questions over trust and reliability.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
Dating apps for quite some time since the sort of end of the pandemic have really struggled to retain the big numbers that they posted when people were stuck at homes and looking for connections. And being online and swiping was really one of the best ways to do that. But since then, it's been challenging to keep people glued to their phones when they're really seeking in-person interactions.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
They've really sort of come out ahead of the pack in talking about what AI can do. And they're talking about AI agents or bots. And what bots can do are essentially perform tasks or services on our behalf.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
So whether that's going out and finding a great match for us or simply saying, you should meet at this coffee shop because you and the guy that you matched with both live in this neighborhood and it's convenient for the two of you. So that's the kind of future where AI is basically doing all the hard stuff that you don't want to do.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
I am fascinated by the fact that they seem to be veering into a very sort of sci-fi direction in which one day, maybe not in the so far future, the apps are integrated with AI in every which way.
The Journal.
Grindr Makes a Date With AI
I think there are a subset of users who are really itching for something better out of their dating apps. And so there is this sort of hankering, I think, among a subset of users who haven't given up on the apps for AI to bring in something fresh and interesting.