The online dating landscape is experiencing a significant shift as a wave of new AI-powered matchmaking apps emerges to challenge the traditional swipe-based model popularized by Tinder. Several startups have launched in recent months, leveraging artificial intelligence and social connections to address growing “swipe fatigue” among users.
Sitch, an AI-powered matchmaking app, launched in New York in November 2024, offering users an AI chatbot experience and personalized “setups” where artificial intelligence introduces compatible matches. The app charges $150 for three AI-generated pairings and uses machine learning to analyze users’ interests, values, and backgrounds through intimate questionnaires. According to cofounder Nandini Mullaji, the platform aims to “replicate the exact human flow of matchmaking” using AI technology.
Other new entrants include Cheers, launched in October, which combines dating with social media by allowing friends to play matchmaker through a friend-of-a-friend social graph. Founded by ex-Instagram engineer Sahil Ahuja, the app bridges the gap between Hinge and Instagram, enabling users to request mutual friends make introductions. Loop, founded by siblings Lian and Adam Zucker in 2023, operates as a matchmaking platform where two-thirds are singles and one-third are friends, family, or professional matchmakers helping make connections.
The trend reflects a broader industry evolution that Tinder’s cofounder Sean Rad predicted. In a September 2024 podcast appearance, Rad described his original vision for Tinder moving beyond swiping into AI-powered matchmaking, where the app would be “trained well enough to suggest the right person for you.” Even Facebook Dating launched a matchmaking feature last month, signaling major platforms’ interest in this approach.
AI applications extend beyond matching algorithms. Apps like Pookie and Rizz offer AI chatbots that help users with flirting and dating advice. Amori, a dating-advice app, is developing an AI personal assistant that will eventually help users find matches through intelligent coaching.
However, professional matchmaker Nick Rosen expressed skepticism about friend-based matchmaking apps, noting that professional matchmakers maintain extensive networks and conduct therapeutic-level intake sessions that friends and family cannot replicate. Despite reservations, Rosen acknowledged that “if we want to make matchmaking more approachable and cooler to people, we need to go and start having our own apps.”
Key Quotes
We’ve tried to replicate the exact human flow of matchmaking
Nandini Mullaji, cofounder of AI-powered dating app Sitch, explained their approach to using artificial intelligence for matchmaking. This quote illustrates how AI startups are attempting to digitize and automate traditionally human-centered services while maintaining the personal touch that makes matchmaking effective.
I thought back on all my relationships and realized that they were all made by friend introductions. I wanted to see how we could bring that authenticity from the real world onto a dating platform
Ram Chirimunj, founder of upcoming app Arrange, articulated the philosophy behind friend-based matchmaking apps. This reflects a broader trend of using technology to facilitate organic social connections rather than replacing human judgment entirely, representing a hybrid approach between pure AI and traditional dating.
Because it’s more social, it lends itself well to solving this more organically and feeling more like how you would date in real life through friends
Sahil Ahuja, ex-Instagram engineer and founder of Cheers, described his app’s social-media-meets-dating approach. This quote highlights how AI and social networking technologies are converging to create new models that blend algorithmic matching with human social graphs.
If we want to make matchmaking more approachable and cooler to people, we need to go and start having our own apps
Professional matchmaker Nick Rosen acknowledged that even traditional matchmakers must adapt to the app-based, AI-powered future. This admission from an industry veteran validates the technological shift and suggests that AI-powered matchmaking represents an inevitable evolution rather than a passing trend.
Our Take
The proliferation of AI-powered matchmaking apps represents more than just dating app innovation—it’s a litmus test for consumer trust in AI decision-making for high-stakes personal choices. The willingness to pay $150 for AI-generated matches demonstrates that users increasingly view artificial intelligence as capable of understanding complex human compatibility, a significant psychological shift.
What’s particularly noteworthy is the hybrid approach many apps are taking, combining AI algorithms with human social networks rather than relying solely on machine learning. This suggests the most successful AI applications may not replace human judgment but augment it. The timing is also significant: as generative AI reaches mainstream awareness, these apps are capitalizing on both AI hype and genuine swipe fatigue to carve out market share from established players. The real question is whether AI can truly replicate the intuition of experienced human matchmakers or if these apps will face the same engagement challenges that plagued earlier dating platforms once the novelty wears off.
Why This Matters
This development represents a critical inflection point for AI applications in consumer technology and demonstrates how artificial intelligence is reshaping traditional industries. The emergence of AI-powered matchmaking apps signals growing consumer acceptance of AI making deeply personal decisions, moving beyond simple recommendations to life-changing connections.
The trend highlights AI’s expanding role in social interactions and relationship formation, areas previously considered too nuanced for algorithmic intervention. As these apps collect intimate data about users’ values, backgrounds, and preferences, they’re training AI systems to understand complex human compatibility factors that could have broader applications in HR, team building, and social networking.
For the dating app industry worth billions, this shift threatens established players like Match Group (owner of Tinder and Hinge) while creating opportunities for AI-first startups. The willingness of users to pay premium prices ($150 for three matches on Sitch) demonstrates strong market demand for AI-powered personalization over free swipe-based models. This could accelerate AI adoption across consumer apps and validate AI as a monetization strategy beyond advertising-based models.
Recommended Reading
For those interested in learning more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and effective AI communication, here are some excellent resources:
Recommended Reading
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/dating-apps-look-to-matchmaking-over-swiping-startups-tinder-2024-11