Bumble Embraces AI to Enhance User Experience in Online Dating

Bumble plans to use AI to assist users with profile creation and conversations

Bumble is expanding the use of AI on its platform and will introduce new features to assist users in creating profiles and provide conversation support. Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones, during Goldman Sachs' annual technology conference, shared that the app will gain AI capabilities, including a photo selection tool, as well as features to help with conversations and profile creation. Jones further stated that the company has an ambitious vision for how AI will enhance the value the online dating platform delivers. The new AI-powered features are expected to be released on the app this winter. Bumble's move comes as its main rival, Tinder, has already launched its AI "Photo Selector" feature, which suggests selfies from users' camera rolls. Bumble currently has 2.8 million users, while Tinder boasts 9.8 million paying users. Published - September 12, 2024 01:13 pm IST Read Comments

Bumble to leverage AI to help users with profile creation and conversations

Bumble is increasing its investments in AI and branching out with new features to stay relevant amid a generational shift in dating behavior among younger users. During Goldman Sachs' annual technology conference on Monday, Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones unveiled more details about the app's upcoming AI capabilities, including a photo selection tool as well as features to help with conversations and profile creation. Jones previously teased the features in Bumble's latest earnings presentation. During a call with investors, she said, "We will also introduce new AI-driven features, including an AI-assisted photo picker to ease the profile creation process and conversation support that will help our customers gain confidence to be their best selves. We have an ambitious view of how AI will enhance the value we deliver to our customers in each step of the dating journey for profile creation, discovery, engagement, and the core of our matching models." The new AI-powered features are launching on the app this winter. Bumble's photo picker tool will put it in closer competition with Tinder, which released its AI "Photo Selector" feature this summer, providing users with suggested selfies taken from their camera roll. Tinder currently touts 9.6 million paying users, whereas Bumble has 2.8 million users as of Q2 2024. Based on yesterday's comments made by Jones, the company suggests it's also working on additional tools to help with profile creation, but didn't go into specific detail. "We want the bar for profile creation to continue to be high, but we want to reduce the friction that it exists for users. Users have a lot of anxiety in creating profiles. We're going to make that as smooth as possible. So profile creation is a big one," Jones noted during the conference. There's more than just uploading photos that go into making a profile; users must also come up with a compelling bio and prompts to attract potential matches. How Bumble plans to power this experience with AI for now remains unclear. Bumble didn't respond to our request for comment. If Bumble were to launch additional AI profile creation features, the company may copy a feature from Tinder's future product roadmap. Tinder CPO Mark Van Ryswyk once mentioned the idea of using generative AI to write bios for dating profiles. Additionally, using AI to encourage singles to be more creative with their opening lines feels like a no-brainer for Bumble. Last year, the company released an AI-generated icebreaker feature for Bumble for Friends, its friendship-focused product, so it would make sense if the dating app rolled out a similar feature. With the icebreaker feature, users can generate messages based on the other person's profile. Jones said, "[Another] big factor is customers are much happier and successful, and they engage in healthy conversations with each other. So, we want to provide more support for people to enter healthy conversations." In addition to the newly announced AI features, we may expect Bumble to expand its AI approach further in the future. Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd previously shared that her idea of online dating could see AI "dating concierges" or assistants going on numerous dates on a user's behalf. Meanwhile, Bumble has been using AI to power its safety features for a few years now. For instance, its "Deception Detector" tool detects and removes fake profiles, spammers, and scammers, and its "Private Detector" feature automatically blurs nude photos. More recently, the company introduced a new option that lets members report profiles if they believe the photos and videos are generated with the use of AI. Jones reiterated at the conference that Bumble is holding off on launching any new paid features as it continues to improve the free experience. This includes expanding "Opening Moves," adding more interest filters and customizations for its chat timer (which currently only gives users 24 hours to send a message), as well as making improvements to its matching algorithm. The company also has plans for the recently acquired community platform Geneva, which is gearing up for a relaunch in late fall.

Bumble AI photo picker tool in the works

During a moment where singles are increasingly sick of dating apps and turning to IRL events, the apps themselves are leaning harder into technology to find love, particularly artificial intelligence. The latest announcement comes from Bumble, the dating app known for "women making the first move." The app plans on expanding its AI features in the coming months, TechCrunch reported. During Goldman Sachs' Communacopia + Technology Conference this week, Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones said that the app is planning to add an "AI photo picker" to help create one's profile, as that's something users have anxiety doing. This comes months after Tinder announced its own AI photo picker tool, Photo Selector. Tinder users provide a selfie for facial recognition, allow Tinder access to their photos, and Photo Selector curates the photos for one's profile. (Mashable found that this photo tool is relatively safe from a privacy perspective, but users should always stay cautious when sharing sensitive data like this.) During a time where major dating apps are competing against each other -- and growing dating app fatigue -- these apps have started introducing very similar features and blurring the distinctions between them. Additionally, Jones said over the fall and winter, there will be a focus on "authenticity" when it comes to product rollouts at Bumble. She mentioned Opening Moves, a prompt women can give on their Bumble profile so men can technically make the first move now. Opening Moves launched in May. Jones also mentioned additional filters, more support for engendering healthy conversations (perhaps AI-generated icebreakers that are already on Bumble for Friends), and continuing to use AI for safety purposes. Earlier this year, Bumble launched Deception Detector to weed out scam and fake profiles. Jones emphasized that the use of AI at Bumble isn't about replacing users, but wanting users to be themselves. These announcements follow Bumble founder and former CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd describing the future of dating as using an "AI concierge" to date for you. As NBC News reported, people were not impressed. It remains to be seen how users will react to these upcoming AI features.

Bumble is giving you new AI tools to find love

AI can soon be your wingman when you use the dating app Bumble, according to CEO Lidiane Jones. As people continue to adjust how they look for love with technology, Jones explained during this year's Goldman Sachs Communacopia technology conference that Bumble has plans to enhance its usual setup with new AI-powered tools in the coming months. Jones outlined the company's plans to enhance the app with AI tools that aim to improve the user experience, particularly in the areas of profile creation and conversation support. That includes AI help in picking out profile photos. The idea is to make it easier to take that first step in making a profile, which eases users into actually trying to match with others on the app. AI help picking photos is also an idea Tinder is also pursuing, which means it may become a new standard option in the world of dating apps. "We want the bar for profile creation to continue to be high, but we want to reduce the friction that exists users," Jones said. "Users have a lot of anxiety in creating profiles. We're going to make that as smooth as possible. So AI for profile creation is a big one." Should the photo assistance go over well with users, Jones hinted that AI might be applied to helping users craft their profile bio and prompts for starting conversations. AI could help with icebreakers and better communication in general. It's something Bumble has been trying out on its Bumble for Friends app but hasn't been available on the dating app before. Jones pointed out that icebreakers can be challenging, but AI can help craft personalized opening lines based on the profile of a match to get over that obstacle. Though enthusiastic about how AI can help users actively pursue romance, Jones was particularly keen to point out how Bumble has deployed AI in its safety tools for several years. For instance, Bumble's Deception Detector can spot fake profiles, annoying spammers, and people trying to scam other users. And, to avoid the dreaded unrequested nude photo, the AI-fueled Private Detector automatically blurs nude images shared within chats. More recently, Bumble added the ability to report any profiles with what appear to be AI-generated images or videos, which are explicitly prohibited by the app. Bumble wants people to trust their app and that the people they encounter are real and not an AI-powered hoax. That's crucial as dating apps aren't quite as huge for single people as they have been. Tinder and Bumble see AI as a way to enhance their apps and encourage users, and there is a lot of potential for very personalized matchmaking tools through AI, but it won't matter if no one meets someone they want to go out with at least once. Bumble's conscious effort to center those human connections in the app shows that Jones and her team know that, stripped of AI bells and whistles, people using a dating app just want an easier way to meet someone. "One of the key principles for us as we embrace more and more AI in our products and services is ensuring that AI is not replacing users. And our belief is that AI can facilitate you showing up, but we still want users to be themselves. We want them to speak for themselves. And so we have a really clear set of principles," Jones said. "We're really excited about the use of AI for future innovation here, but again, with the principle that people are meeting real people."

Bumble Bets On AI Tools To Revive Growth In Online Dating Market - Bumble (NASDAQ:BMBL)

Bumble aims to reduce profile creation anxiety with upcoming AI features. Bumble Inc BMBL remains invested in artificial intelligence-powered features to compete with online dating rivals like Tinder. CEO Lidiane Jones showcased upcoming AI tools during Goldman Sachs' annual technology conference, with plans to leverage AI to improve photo selection, conversation prompts, and profile creation for its users, TechCrunch reports. Tinder has 9.6 million paying users, whereas Bumble has 2.8 million as of the second quarter of 2024. Bumble looks to launch the AI innovations by winter and aims to reduce the anxiety users face during profile creation. These updates follow Bumble's ongoing focus on integrating AI into its services to remove fake profiles and blur inappropriate images. The company is also focusing on improving its free experience. Bumble reported second-quarter topline growth of 3.4% to $268.6 million, missing the analyst consensus of $271.8 million. Total paying users reached 4.1 million, from 3.6 million a year ago. Bumble App revenue increased 4.8% to $218.0 million. Bumble expects third-quarter revenue of $269 million-$275 million versus the $273 million estimate. Multiple analysts downgraded the stock's rating and cut their price targets as the quarterly print disappointed the Street. Analyst Chandler Willison acknowledged a slowdown in growth for Bumble, similar to Tinder, including a market saturation. Bumble stock plunged over 59% in the last 12 months. Price Action: BMBL stock is up 1.56% at $6.50 premarket at last check Wednesday. Read Next: EXCLUSIVE: Is Apple 'Falling Behind' Rivals Like Amazon, Alphabet? WisdomTree's Christopher Gannatti Weighs In Photo: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs