Part proof-of-concept, part marketing stunt, the free voice-based game uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini models to generate short, highly exaggerated rom-com scenarios. Think: a stranger reaching for the same shopping basket at a grocery store, or someone whose luggage got switched up with yours at the airport baggage claim.
In talking to the bot, which initiates the scene, users can accumulate points for warmth and curiosity, receive real-time feedback on their responses and ultimately “win” the game if the AI character verbally agrees to a date. Plays are limited to five per day and about three minutes at a time. For now, at least, the feature is a limited-time offering for iOS users in the US.
“The goal is to give users a fun, judgment-free space to experiment and potentially build a little confidence before stepping into IRL conversations,” said Hillary Paine, Tinder’s vice president of product, growth and revenue. Whether the feature stays in the Tinder app permanently will depend on the kind of user feedback the company receives, she added.
Tinder has made a priority of winning over Gen Z daters, who make up about half its user base. The app, the biggest in Match’s portfolio, has struggled to reverse a decline in subscribers that began in 2023, and has warned investors that brand revenue won’t return to growth until 2027.
One of the company’s solutions for boosting engagement is to “bring the fun back to Tinder,” as well as ridding the ecosystem of fake profiles and bad actors, executives said during Match’s investor day last year. The company is also testing a double-dating feature, and is promising more in-app matches and rewards if users log into the app consistently for a week.
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With this in-app chatbot, dubbed “The Game Game,” Tinder isn’t going so far as to introduce an AI companion, the idea of which has been controversial given the documented impact it can have on people’s emotional wellbeing if used unchecked.The game’s limited-time and over-the-top nature nature aims “to help keep the experience light and prevent over-reliance,” Paine said, adding the feature is an experiment to show “how technology can support authenticity, not replace it.”
Since testing OpenAI’s audio models last summer and working with the AI company to bring the feature to life, Tinder said it has incorporated additional safeguards into the game, on top of detecting hate speech or clear violations of community guidelines. That includes using OpenAI’s moderation technology to end the conversation if it involves sensitive topics or advances that make people uncomfortable.
Regardless of whether users risk growing attached to the chatbot, operating the game long term would also be a financial commitment. Match last year struck an agreement with OpenAI for more than 1,000 ChatGPT enterprise licenses. Representatives for both companies declined to disclose pricing terms for Tinder’s usage of OpenAI’s real-time speech-to-speech model, which is required for the game to run.
Match, which also owns Hinge, has incorporated AI throughout its apps, putting the technology to work in a variety of uses, which include selecting optimal photos and making profile suggestions. Other dating apps such as Grindr Inc. have also been testing AI-powered features akin to a wingman, which would help write chat responses or suggest restaurants to go on dates.