Amid dating app fatigue and concerns over the safety of its users, Grindr is testing a steeply priced subscription that will incorporate AI into finding matches for people.
The app for gay and bisexual men shows users’ profiles in a grid to people in the immediate vicinity, featuring photos, stats and bios, with the aim of helping users meet people who can move from hook-up to dating. Grindr says it has 15 million monthly active users worldwide.
The company has begun using AI to detect when users may be underage on the app, which may reveal the user is under 18 based on messages. Since December, Grindr has also begun checking the age of its users in Australia through facial age or ID checks, complying with the eSafety Online Code.
It’s early days yet, but hopefully this investigation will limit underage users, and also stop those who have used the app under false pretenses to simply arrange to meet men and then attack and in some cases rob the people they target.
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry established last week will investigate these crimes, and the possible role of “manosphere” influencers in encouraging these attacks, Guardian Australia reports.
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Since Grindr went public in 2022, it has increasingly added a number of features, and long distance users can see other users, available in paid membership tiers, and pop-up advertising has been included for those with free accounts.
The new AI feature Edge, first tested in Australia and New Zealand over the past few months, takes it to the next level at a monthly cost of A$109.99 compared to the A$29.99 basic subscription. Prices appear to vary depending on the market, with some US users reporting prices as high as US$349 per month.
Features include AI summaries of conversations a user has had with others, meaning that when moving to another city they can reconnect with that user without having to scrub through messages. Dubbed “GAI” by Grindr, this model also identifies users who match based on statistics and conversation history, who the user interacts with, and whether they are likely to initiate a conversation.
Grindr’s global chief marketing officer, Tristan Pineiro, told Guardian Australia that the company often tests its new features in Australia.
“Australia is a great test market for us. It’s a market of early adopters and we’ve found Australians love to give us feedback.”
Pineiro acknowledged that the “large portion” of Grindr users remain on the free plan, which has no AI features, but those users’ profiles will match with those of users on the Edge plan — unless they opt out of the AI ​​functionality.
Pineiro also said that some users would not want their communications and profile information to be included in Grindr’s AI.
“It’s been made clear to people that there is a possibility to opt out because many people don’t want these features or are more concerned about their data (but) we have very strict, legal contracts,” he said.
Additionally, sexual health information has been excluded from information accessible to AI, she said.
The level of Gen Z dating app fatigue at Grindr is not the same as that reported for other apps, amid growing competition from similar platforms like Sniffy’s, Pineiro said, adding that usage among 18 to 24-year-olds is strong due to the immediacy of connection when a user logs in.
“You can go there any time, you can immediately interact with people and be happy to get a response. There are no barriers.”
