Facebook Dating tries using AI to end ‘swipe fatigue’

Facebook Dating is getting new AI features to help users avoid “swipe fatigue,” Meta announced today. The new features include a new “dating assistant” AI chatbot that helps you find potential matches as well as a new “Meet Cute” feature that automatically matches you with someone using a “personalized” algorithm. With the dating assistant, you can type out specific prompts to try and match up with certain types of people; Meta gives the example of “find me a Brooklyn girl in tech.” The assistant can also help “level up your profile” or offer dating ideas. The chatbot will be available in the Matches tab and is “gradually” rolling out in the US and Canada, Meta says. The Meet Cute feature will pair you with someone every week and is “ideal for anyone who’s tired of swiping and is looking for a fresh, easy way to expand their typical pool of dating candidates,” Meta says. (OkCupid tried something similar in 2013 with its Crazy Blind Date app.) Meta is “exploring” adding other time frequencies for the recommendations and you can opt out of the Meet Cute if you like. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been pushing to make Facebook more “culturally influential” this year, with the company also making all Facebook videos reels and trying to clean up Facebook spam.