Hinge CEO says Gen Z needs AI help to start conversations as dating app burnout rises

Hinge CEO Blames Pandemic for Gen Z Dating Struggles

Jackie Jantos, CEO of Hinge, argues that Gen Z daters "absolutely want love" but struggle with the confidence needed for initiating conversations on dating apps 1

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. Speaking to the BBC's Big Boss interview podcast, Jantos attributes this lack of confidence to pandemic-era disruptions that prevented young adults from developing essential social skills during formative years 1

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. She points to stark data showing Gen Z now spends around 1,000 fewer hours per year in person with other people compared to the same age group two decades ago—equating to more than two hours per day "spent not in the company of another human, but most likely going deep in some sort of experience engaged in your phone" 1

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The 47-year-old executive says almost half of Gen Z people in the UK now feel loneliness "often or always," a consequence of missed opportunities to experiment with "how you show up in person with another person, how you flirt, how you think about intimacy" 1

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. This social isolation has created a generation of young professionals who desire meaningful connections but lack the practical experience to pursue them confidently.

AI in Dating Emerges as Hinge's Solution

To address these confidence gaps, Hinge has deployed AI features designed to coach users through the dating process 2

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. One tool reviews user profiles and provides profile suggestions to make them more engaging, while another generates opening lines to help users start conversations with matches 1

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. Jantos defends these chatbots as confidence-building tools rather than personality replacements, insisting the technology is "not about writing words for you" but "helping you express who you are" 1

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The timing of these AI features coincides with significant shifts in the dating app landscape. Hinge has grown its UK user base from 1.4 million to 1.5 million in the year up to May 2025, while Tinder's audience fell from 1.9 million to 1.5 million over the same period, according to Ipsos iris data 1

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[2](https://www.digitaltrends.com/phones/hinge-is- đẩy-ai-into-dating-and-its-boss-says-gen-z-needs-chatbots-to-talk/). The two apps now sit roughly neck and neck, with Gen Z accounting for more than half of Hinge's monthly active users 1

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Experts Question Whether AI Can Solve Dating App Burnout

Not everyone shares Jantos's optimism about AI solving dating challenges. Dr. Carolina Bandinelli, an associate professor at the University of Warwick who researches dating and relationships, believes the industry is now "past the hype" after dating apps failed to deliver on their promises 1

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. She notes that platforms were originally pitched as giving single people "access to a virtually infinite pool of strangers" while sparing them "from the possibility of rejection," but the reality proved different 1

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. "You're not really choosing, you're more guessing," Bandinelli explains. "The lack of social cues makes it very difficult" 1

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Siobhan Copland, founder of Cupid in the City, a matchmaking service for young professionals, observes widespread dating app burnout among her Gen Z clients 1

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. "We're just constantly bombarded with information...it's very much quality connections over quantity [now]," she says 1

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. Copland also notes a cultural shift, with Gen Z "not really into drinking culture" and more likely to be "at the gym on a Friday night than at the bar" 1

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Whether teaching people to flirt through AI training wheels will address the deeper issues of loneliness and authentic connection remains an open question. As dating apps continue evolving their approaches, the balance between technological assistance and genuine human interaction will likely determine which platforms succeed in helping users find meaningful relationships.