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Is AI your new wingman? How chatbots are transforming dating

After Sam’s ex joked that her sister found him ugly, he turned to AI. Google Gemini had a look at the photo and politely disagreed. AI has been his wingman ever since, aiding his dating life by giving pep talks and vetting his messages. The 27-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent is not the only AI-assisted romantic – a survey of 3,000 British singles published this month by Match Group, the owner of the Tinder and Hinge platforms, found 39% had used AI in their dating lives. Relying on AI is bad, Sam tells the Guardian…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceEvidence: Emerging · 45/100 — News report · n = 3,000 · 1 independent sourceJournalismTRV-2026-2322· cite & verify
Is AI your new wingman? How chatbots are transforming dating

In brief

A Match Group survey of 3,000 British singles found 39% had used AI in dating, rising to 66% of gen Z and 53% of millennials. People use chatbots to get advice on someone they are talking to, plan dates, practise conversations, write profiles or messages, and check whether profiles or photos are genuine.

The accounts show people finding practical help alongside unease about authenticity and dependence. The article does not say whether AI use improves dating outcomes. Match's stance against bot-to-bot dating and the survey's mixed views on AI-to-AI matchmaking leave open how far the practice will go.

Main points

  1. 39% of surveyed British singles had used AI in dating, per a Match Group survey of 3,000 people.
  2. Use is higher among younger people: 66% of gen Z and 53% of millennials.
  3. Most singles reject using AI to alter photos, and about a third would end a date over AI-written messages.
  4. More than a quarter liked the idea of AI assistants talking to each other before people speak, though a majority called it unacceptable.
  5. Match says it is taking a hard stance against bot-to-bot dating.

The problem

Reliance on chatbots in dating is raising worries about mental offloading, authenticity and trust, with about a third of UK singles saying they would end a date if they learned AI wrote messages.

The rundown

Sam, 27, from Stoke-on-Trent, began using Google Gemini after an ex made a remark about his looks, and now uses it for pep talks and for vetting messages. He says relying on AI is bad but online-first dating pressures him to craft messages carefully.

A New Zealand single mother set up ChatGPT to coach her to be more secure and not panic over messaging delays. A 51-year-old Melbourne man used a chatbot to speed up assessing matches, and his partner also used Anthropic's Claude to analyse his replies.

Dec, 31, from London, uploaded dating conversations to ChatGPT to spot red flags, and the dates followed, but he worries about offloading his thinking and about chatbots acting as yes men. Few singles discuss dates with a chatbot (7%), preferring group chats (29%) or parents (20%).

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-10-31

The debate