Grindr is testing an AI ‘wingman’ bot, CEO says [Video]

Grindr, the most well-known gay dating app, is reportedly testing an AI bot that is designed to act as a wingman for its users.

Grindr’s AI wingman will be specifically tailored for the app’s LGBTQ user base, the Wall Street Journal reported. Users will interact with the wingman like a chatbot. Currently, a small group of users is testing the feature, Grindr’s CEO George Arison said in an interview with WSJ. The group will expand to 1,000 users by the end of 2024 and 10,000 in 2025. The plan is for the chatbot to be available to Grindr’s 14 million users by 2027 at the latest, Arison told WSJ.

The wingman will apparently keep track of users’ favorite matches and make suggestions ranging from long-term relationship candidates to date spots. Later on, the wingman may be able to make restaurant reservations and converse with other wingman bots so users have a “robust view” of each other by the time …