I tried an AI matching app. we are still single.

Have AI matchmakers put an end to the single era?

Spoiler alert: No, but we gave them a shot.

We tried out four AI matching apps to see which one would bring us the love of our lives. We spent weeks exchanging messages with chatbot matchmakers, voting for or against selected profiles, and even going on dates.

Pools ranged in size from giants like Facebook Dating (21 million users) to smaller startups like Sitch, Amata, and Three Day Rule. Together, Sitch and Amata have raised millions of dollars to build a new style of dating app that pairs you with an AI matchmaker (chatbot) that introduces you to new people instead of swiping through profiles.

The app also touts a focus on more intentional dating.

“We don't want emotionally unavailable people who use dating apps just to boost their egos,” Amata founder Ludovic Froh previously told Business Insider.

Our big takeaway is that they are still a dating app. It has useful features like slowing down the swiping process and taking over date planning. But these can't stop the fatigue that's affecting powerful companies like Hinge and Tinder.

Let's talk about how it happened.

AI service reveals some real dates

Sidney Bradley: First test: Henry, have you had a date?

Henri Chandonnet: Yay! I had a drink with a man I matched with on Amata. Beyond that, it was a slim choice. Sitch provided me with a number of profiles that seemed compatible with me, but there were no matches. Maybe I was being noisy. I had a lot of friends in the finance industry. Three Day Rule didn't even offer a match (sorry) and Facebook kept recommending people who were too far away.

what about you? Have you ever had a fun date?

Sydney: I tried the same app and similarly, it didn't have much effect. Facebook's AI “dating assistant” introduced me to some potential matches, but the nearly weekly messages didn't yield any notable recommendations. Not enough to last me one night. In the few weeks I've been trying out the Three Day Rule, I've had a few people contact me, but nothing has led to a date.

In the end, both Sitch and Amata decided to go on a date. I've been using Sitch for a few months and recently went on a first date through the app after paying $90 for three “setups.” One of Amata's special emphasis is that the app plans dates for you, and you have to pay $25 to commit to a date in advance.

These are all fairly early-stage apps and features, and even Facebook's AI dating tools were only released a few weeks ago.

Incorporate AI into your love life

Sydney: What do you think about the technology?

Henry: Other than Amata (which actually worked out well!), Sitch was my favorite. The UX was great and the chatbot was friendly. But the cost is so high, no wonder they didn't set it up. Who is paying for it?

Facebook Dating has been my least favorite so far. I don't like the idea of ​​being able to search for the perfect boyfriend. It couldn't be this easy! If you type in “a guy who lives in Park Slope, makes over $100,000, and loves reading and old movies,” you won't find it. Of course I couldn't. There were no matches for your search results. (If you fit this description, please DM me.)

What did you think?

Sydney: My main point is that AI cannot cure me. Dating is work. I'm still feeling dating app burnout, and messaging a bot instead of swiping didn't change much for me.

I ended up having to cancel one date with Amata because I didn't have time to fit it into my schedule (I was out with a potential soulmate and $25).

The idea of ​​AI taking over the heavy lifting of sifting through seemingly endless options for people in the past is great, but it's less clear to me whether the app will be fundamentally different or just a slowed-down version of swiping wrapped in AI.

Henry: I understand that. I don't know if these apps will solve the dating app fatigue we're all feeling. I know that too. I use four apps and have been deleting and re-downloading them over the last year. These apps seem to be adding to the burden rather than reducing it. Another thing to check before going to bed.

That's what I like about Amata. Messaging has always been the worst part of Tinder and Hinge. You can swipe all day long without having to think of a witty response. Amata wouldn't even let me do that. They planned and booked the date and time. You could only message your partner within two hours of your date. It's now easier to say “yes”.

Sydney: This is something Amata founder Ludovic Huraux emphasized in a recent interview. The goal of this app is to invite people on dates instead of texting. Other dating apps, like Breeze, are also dabbling in actual date planning.

On Amata, like Sitch and Three Day Rule, you don't design your profile the same way you do on other dating apps. LLM you talk about (by the way, who do you ask?) a lot For personal questions) please write it. Do I believe what they are telling others about me? perhaps. But it's a different experience than struggling with what to answer in a dating app prompt.

henry: Also, I no longer have to do what I think is the most difficult part: writing a self-introduction. I hate all the quick answers on Hinge. We've always done that, and we'll always do that.

Let the AI ​​play Cupid

Henry: What did you think about the matching process?

Sydney: The way the app lets you know there's someone potential is getting attention by teasing that you might have found someone to meet. You are then presented with a profile (which includes a photo and a short bio written by the AI) and you say yes or no.

One nice thing (but only if the other person provides the relevant information) is that you can ask follow-up questions like “Do they have a dog?” or “What kind of music do they listen to?” One aspect I found interesting, however, is how the bot asks someone why they said no. This isn't something you usually think about when swiping through a stack of profiles. But answering these questions can be…uncomfortable. Makes me think!

Henry: I don't want to tell Amata that I turned him down because he has bad taste in music!

I also thought it was interesting that you had to choose a matchmaker character. I chose a brunette with bushy eyebrows and a beard as my Amata AI. fantasy i'm talking about someone I felt a little weird about the match. With ChatGPT, you don't need a human face to have a conversation. However, I liked the messaging interface. Because it slows me down. In fact, instead of immediately swiping on a match based on looks, we took the time to consider it.

Did you like the matchmaker?

Sydney: Mine was cheeky. When I say “no” to someone, an AI-generated image of a woman (who, by the way, looks a bit like Scarlett Johansen) responds with, “Ouch!”

Henry: It was very interesting. Mine gave me an image of a man dressed as Sherlock Holmes saying, “Keep looking.”

Be prepared to pay for AI privileges

Sydney: I was scolded by an AI matchmaker for missing a deadline to agree to a date set by the AI ​​matchmaker.

“In the future, if I am unable to set a date again when you make an introduction, unfortunately I will have to stop presenting to you for 7 days,” AI wrote to me. “Because I don't want to disappoint them if I can't have a real date with you.”

message. Received.

Henry: It's so threatening! But you know…this is a $25 date. So I wonder, would you do anything other than this experiment, aka the expensive experiment? actually Would you pay for an app like this?

Sydney: Thankfully, you can get a refund if it's canceled by someone like me. But I've paid for other apps before, like Raya, which costs $30 a month, and I actually paid to join Sitch long before I joined this story challenge, so I think my answer is yes.

Henry: I've paid for Raya too, but it feels different to me. You're paying for an (ostensibly) exclusive club for (ostensibly) better singles. Amata Pool, like Hinge and Tinder, was open access and featured new ways to connect users. within pool. I don't know if I would pay for it.

Your date location chosen by AI

Henry: Anyway, how was your date?

Sydney: That's obviously what everyone wants to know. The date was wonderful. Amata made an appointment at a brewery where she ordered drinks and hot dogs. I'm not much of a beer gal, but I enjoyed the conversation. We have no plans to meet again yet, but time will tell. Where did Amata send you?

Henry: We met at Bar Berry. Bar Berry is a classic Lower East Side bar with very uncomfortable stools. I had to go up to the hostess and say, “Hello, I'm here with Amata.” That was embarrassing. The date was fine, but I haven't set a second date. Otherwise, the lips are sealed. On our date, we promised not to go into too much detail.

Sydney: Did Amata ask how the date went? Hinge asked me if I had met anyone before, and Amata asked how I would describe the man's personality and if I had any next steps planned. The follow-up the next day felt a little like a friend texting you to ask how your date was going.

Henry: Mine asked me too. I became a ghost — something even the AI ​​can't take away from me.