Meta Tests AI Assistant On Facebook Dating To Personalise Matches And Ease Swipe Fatigue
Meta is introducing an AI-powered assistant to Facebook Dating, designed to help users refine their search for partners beyond the endless cycle of swipes.
The tool responds to natural language prompts, with Meta suggesting phrases such as “Find me a Brooklyn girl in tech” as examples of how the chatbot can tailor matches.
The assistant can also recommend dating ideas and even help write personalised profile prompts to improve visibility.
The rollout begins in the United States and Canada.
Meet Cute Feature Promises Surprise Matches Without Endless Swiping
Alongside the AI assistant, Meta is testing a new addition called Meet Cute.
This feature introduces users to a weekly “surprise match” generated by Facebook Dating’s algorithm, aimed at young adults seeking a fresh way to meet people without the fatigue of swiping.
Meta says that matches among users aged 18 to 29 on the platform have risen by 10% year-on-year, with hundreds of thousands of profiles created in that demographic each month.
Still, Facebook Dating’s scale remains small compared with market leaders like Tinder, which claims around 50 million daily active users, and Hinge, with 10 million.
Competitors Double Down On AI To Keep Users Engaged
Meta’s push comes as rivals continue to experiment with AI-driven features.
Match Group, the owner of Tinder, Hinge and OKCupid, signed a deal with OpenAI last year as part of a $20 million investment into artificial intelligence.
The group has launched tools including Tinder’s AI photo selector, which automatically scans photo libraries to recommend the best profile images, and Hinge’s feature that helps polish user responses.
Despite these moves, Match Group has faced headwinds, with its stock price falling by about 68% over the past five years.
Industry Leaders Predict The End Of Mass Swiping
The wider industry appears convinced that AI will reshape online dating.
Justin McLeod, chief executive of Hinge, recently said personalised AI matchmaking could make mass swiping “relatively arcane” within three to five years.
He argued that natural language preferences would replace today’s “Morse code of likes and passes,” allowing users to describe values and traits they want in a partner.
Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd also stirred debate in 2024 by suggesting that one day, AI concierges could even “go on dates” with other AI systems to pre-test compatibility.
Can Meta Win Back Online Daters?
Coinlive believes Meta’s gamble with AI in Facebook Dating may be its last real chance to challenge industry leaders.
The platform lags significantly behind Tinder and Hinge in scale, and adding features that already exist elsewhere may not be enough to draw younger users back.
Yet, by leaning on surprise elements like Meet Cute and the promise of AI-driven personalisation, Meta is signalling it wants to reshape the way dating apps are used.
The question is whether novelty and algorithms alone can overcome years of user apathy towards Facebook Dating — or if it is already too late for Meta to matter in the modern dating market.