Grindr is developing an AI “wingman” to help improve users’ online dating skills

The gay hookup app Grindr is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence (AI) “wingman” to help users improve their interactions with other users. Grindr is developing its wingman with safety and privacy considerations in mind, the company told The Wall Street Journal.

The wingman will track users’ favorite matches, track conversations, suggest which users might work well for a long-term relationship, and recommend local date spots.

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Grindr’s CEO George Arison also said the app could one day make dinner and event reservations or even chat with another user’s wingman to suggest potential conversation starters that gel with users’ preferences and communication styles. Alternately, the bot could also spot “deal breakers” early on.

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Grindr plans on developing its “empathetic AI technology” through Ex-human, a company that develops “immersive” chatbots for “unlocking deeper engagement.” Grindr negotiated a contract with Ex-human last year to create a romantic chatbot that is “more gay” than Ex-human’s mostly straight chatbots. Ex-human will do this by incorporating queer slang, sarcasm, and humor into its module.

The Grindr wingman may even possibly offer advice on sexual health and mental health one day, Arison said. His company plans to introduce the wingman to o 1,000 users this year, and 10,000 next year, with a full launch for its 14 million users by 2027.

Arison said his company is training the AI module in-house rather than with a third party to prevent breeches of potentially sensitive user information, according to Analytics Insight. Grindr also hopes to earn trust and demonstrate transparency by asking users before allowing an AI to access their chat history.

Grindr has faced trouble for mismanaging users’ data in the past. In July, Grindr was fined $6 million by a Norwegian court after an investigation found that the company unlawfully shared sensitive user data with commercial companies they had partnered with.

In April, almost 700 people sued the app for sharing their HIV statuses without giving consent. That lawsuit alleged that Grindr shared extremely sensitive information without users’ permission to third-party companies for commercial purposes. This information included users’ ethnicity, orientation, and HIV status.

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