Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd outlines how AI will shape future of dating online

Whitney Wolfe Herd says the future of dating may see AI concierges talking to each other to find real matches.

Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, believes artificial intelligence could reshape the future of dating.

Speaking at the Bloomberg Technology Summit, Wolfe Herd said personal AI concierges might one day communicate with hundreds of other AIs to identify the best matches for users.

“You could, in the near future, be talking to your AI dating concierge,” she explained. “You could share your insecurities. There is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierges.”

The concept drew laughter from the audience, but Wolfe Herd reiterated her point. “No no truly. And then you don’t have to talk to 600 people. It could scan all of San Francisco for you and say these are the three people you really ought to meet.” She added, “That’s the power of AI if harnessed the right way.”

The idea quickly prompted comparisons to the 2017 “Black Mirror” episode “Hang the DJ,” in which simulated versions of individuals were paired by an algorithm called “The System.” In the show, multiple digital simulations determined whether two people were compatible before a final match was revealed in real life.

While the notion of AI concierges handling dating feels experimental, Wolfe Herd suggested the technology could remove the time-consuming nature of swiping and messaging. She stepped down as Bumble’s CEO in 2023 but remains engaged with the company, which has already rolled out AI tools such as “Opening Move,” allowing users to send generated first messages instead of writing their own.