Bumble, Inc. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd believes the ability of AI technology will result in a greater online dating experience for her apps’ users. Speaking on the Code Conference on Wednesday, the Bumble and Badoo exec shared how her company uses AI technology to enhance matching and other elements of the business. While she noted Bumble wouldn’t enterprise into more “sci-fi” areas like using AI to make virtual girlfriends or boyfriends — something other apps like Replika have done — she does see a future where AI could help play the role of digital matchmaker.

Though much of the industry is targeted on novel uses of AI — like Meta’s introduction of AI chatbots and generative AI features at its event yesterday — Wolfe Herd identified that AI technology has actually been a giant piece of Bumble’s business for years.

“I feel that is something that’s lost on most of the people, perhaps,” she said. “Because our matching algorithms are AI-driven. That is machine learning. That is how we understand relevance and compatibility,” she said.

She added that various safety measures the app uses are also powered by AI and machine learning and these areas will improve together with AI advances.

But Wolfe Herd believes that AI technology will even help to make online dating even higher in the longer term.

“I’d really take into consideration AI as a supercharger to like and relationships,” she explained. “I need to be very clear, we usually are not intending on replacing humans with bots. We usually are not intending for people to fall in love within the sci-fi version of a digital boyfriend, girlfriend, [or] partner. What we’ll do, nevertheless, is we’ll really lead with the shoppers’ pain points and reducing friction, reducing things that stress a customer out,” Wolfe Herd said.

For instance, she desires to leverage AI technology to assist people find more compatible matches. As well as, she imagines a future where Bumble could leverage AI to coach people to interact in a way that makes them feel more positive.

However the exec also hinted that there are much more modern ways to capitalize on AI that haven’t yet been built.

“I feel that’s where I’m spending loads of my energy and time. I’m quite obsessive about AI in the meanwhile,” Wolfe Herd said.

One example of something she’s been enthusiastic about is constructing a private matchmaker or dating coach for Bumble users that leverages AI technology. Users would tell the bot the whole lot they wanted it to learn about what’s essential to them in a relationship — like their non-negotiables and values that must exist in a partner, in addition to the things they wish to do, how they need to spend their summer, what a typical Sunday morning looks like and so forth.

This AI matchmaker could then seek advice from other digital matchmakers to find out two users’ compatibility.

“And only if those other matchmakers triggered a certain level of compatibility wouldn’t it bring it back to the human,” Wolfe Herd explains. “So now, as a substitute of you having to swipe and match and chat with dozens of individuals to seek out someone who’s compatible for you, you possibly can, in truth only seek advice from the three those that got here back as qualified individuals for what you’re on the lookout for. So you possibly can really leverage AI to supercharge compatibility and that’s just on the matching side of things,” she added. 

Other technique of using AI could involve image recognition techniques — like having the ability to see that somebody enjoys eating at the identical restaurant as you from photos — or using AI to establish dates by placing the reservation.

“I feel that we’re in a very interesting opportunity, in a moment, that may leverage AI and human connection, and the intersection is actually fascinating,” she said.

More importantly, perhaps, is that Wolfe Herd imagines that AI will help boost Bumble’s bottom line by allowing the dating app to supply a premium experience.

Though the CEO wouldn’t put a price on the AI-powered offering, following Tinder’s reveal of a $500 per 30 days tier, she did say that AI will allow Bumble to supply an experience that feels “very curated, very chosen” and “it should definitely be at a premium to where we at the moment are.”