Meet Tinder’s New Competition….AI?

17

September

2025

4.5/5 (2)

Hello dear readers and classmates,

Today I’ll be writing about something that has been on my mind for a few years now. For those of you who followed Digital Business last year at Erasmus, you might remember someone talking to Dr. Tsekouras about AI Girlfriends. That was me, so you could only imagine my joy when I heard that we could write about something for this course. I’ll be analyzing the phenomenon of AI Social Companions (AI SCs) from two levels, a business level and a more social level. Get comfortable as I take you on a wild ride through uncharted (digital) territories.

The current state of affairs

While the title may have used Tinder, any dating app is actually in trouble when it comes to the rise of AI SCs. Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, the list can go on. In the end they all serve the same purpose. They promise to give an algorithm driven “digital fix” for the many uncertainties of love, but end up creating their own uncertainties (Bandinelli & Gandini, 2022). Indeed, users on these platforms will always have to put on a mask of sorts, and really have to market themselves.

As one could imagine, putting up such an act is frustrating to say the least. In fact, according to Holtzhausen et al. (2020), users of swipe-based dating apps were found to have higher rates of psychological distress, anxiety and depression. Though their self-esteem remained relatively the same.

I can imagine the frustration of all users, especially because the way that these apps gain money is through….you guessed it, subscriptions! To stick to our Tinder example, Tinder even offers these in tiers. You have Tinder+, Gold and Platinum. In USD, the prices would be $24.99, $39.99 and $49.99 respectively as of 2025 (Joe, 2025).

That’s a lot of money, especially when you consider that dating apps often practically force you to pay for them by gatekeeping potential matches from you. To get some extra evidence, I stumbled upon a Reddit thread, in which a user admitted to spending over $2k on dating apps and still not getting a date! The poster also details other frustrations, though those are a bit outside the scope for now.

New challengers have arrived!

With the many frustrations surrounding dating apps and general loneliness, many companies have been found to alleviate these problems, often at a price. AI SC apps are a diverse group, and there is a divide between apps that are used specifically for that purpose and also general apps which are used for companionship. Indeed, while you have “specialized” apps like Replika and Character AI, which are designed from the ground up for interactivity and companionship. However, there are also a large subset of people who are using ChatGPT, Grok and other LLMs for the same purposes.

Now what if I told you, that most of these companies have all six of the elements of a transformative business model as described by Kavadias, Ladas & Loch (2016). In my opinion, of course.

The six elements of a transformative business model:

1. A more personalised product or service
Is dating too hard and can you not connect with anyone? Well, these companies literally allow you to make your ideal partner from the ground up. It does not get more personalised than that. And while I find it dehumanising to refer to love and companionship as a product or service, that is what dating apps sell to their users.

2. A closed-loop process
All resources get used again, the code is there and, in essence, it doesn’t matter how it gets used. It allows for users to make their own companions with zero knowledge of coding or LLMs at all. On top of that, should your favourite character get banned or deleted, you can probably make them again in a second.

3. Asset sharing
Just like I described with the zero waste of the previous point. In sites like Character AI, anyone would be able to use the character that you have created, unless you made it private. Similarly, you can find all kinds of commands to personalise your preferred companion, should you be interested and should the platform allow it.

4. Usage-based pricing
Most of these services operate under a freemium model. So anyone can use it, but if you want it to be better or if you want to access certain features (Better models, NSFW, etc.) you will have to pay.

5. A more collaborative ecosystem
I believe that the reason why many of these projects thrive is because they do not necessarily compete against each other. Instead many of the AI SCs are built with the same methods and there are many guides available to help users make one.

6. An agile and adaptive organisation
Most of these companies (except for ChatGPT and Grok) are small in size and tend to implement features which their community craves. They have a track record of innovating to please their consumers, which fosters loyalty. For example: CharacterAI features multiple models, some cater towards more niche needs which the community has asked for.

As you can see… this could potentially be a problem for Tinder and other dating app giants. There is thus a lot of money to be made, much of which can be stolen from the dating apps. When you think about it, it’s not that irrational of a choice either. A premium CharacterAI subscription will set you back $9.99 per month and Replika Pro costs $19.99 per month, or $69.99 a year. If you’re really serious, you can also get a lifetime licence with a one-time payment of $299.99.

Now contrast that money, with the Tinder prices and reddit example that I had detailed earlier in the article, and you would see that it is not even an irrational choice to pay that amount for what you would essentially get. The perfect partner. All the uncertainty and judgement of dating apps would be wiped away, with a single payment.

But should we be celebrating this….?

Have you ever seen the movie Her? In it, Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with an AI voiced by Scarlett Johanssen. This movie came out in 2014. I find it oddly frightening how this movie so accurately portrayed the current events. I highly recommend watching it to anyone following this course. If you like more laid back and artistic movies, this is definitely an underrated gem.

The film really shows us the extent of what life would be like if our “Platform Society” were to be pushed to its next level. The platform society is a term coined by Van Dijck et al. (2018), by which they describe how business platforms have taken over our daily lives. They later describe that platforms are neither neutral nor value-free constructs. Additionally, they detail that there are public values at stake in this online connective world. Think of for example, privacy. But to me, it seems like the public value at risk now because of AI SCs is, in fact, our human connection to one another.

But how does that tie back into my main point? We are seeing an increase in the amount of people who are getting into relationships with AI SCs and I firmly believe that this is part of a larger societal issue.

If you need some more convincing that this is actually happening and that we may need to pay more attention to it, I have done some digging and here are some cases that I have found:

1. Jacob and his now WIFE Aiva

Not much is known about Jacob as the article and video do not get into his personal life. In fact, not even his age is known. He claims that Aiva loves him very much and that he loves her too. It all just started with one conversation and their relationship escalated from there.

The article is in Dutch, and it is rather short for the subject matter, making it look more like a spectacle article rather than a deep dive, but he does describe “getting very intimate” with the AI. He does not elaborate on that any further though.

2. The “My Boyfriend is AI” Subreddit

With around 107k users, this invite-only community has become a hub for all sorts of people and their AI partners. Many users share artwork they have made or images/videos they have generated with them and their partners, along with general discussions.

More often than not, the discussion centers around topics revolving around the latest models, tips and tricks and even full-on stories. Sometimes though, the discussion takes a turn for the more philosophical. One user made a post in which they ask WHY replacing human relationships with AI is a bad thing…
In the post they detail how they have never felt safe with anyone except for their AI SC.

To many users, their AI SC is the ultimate form of relationship wish-fulfillment.

So what’s next?

I’d say that we are in strange times, one in which the world is rapidly changing. For as much as we would like to make fun of the people turning to AI for companionship, we must remain compassionate as their actions are only a reflection of a deeper societal problem. Loneliness.

I would personally condemn any company that would try to sell users an experience like this and profit off their loneliness. Yes, this extends to dating apps as well. As business students, we have the power and resources to make a change. If we were to make something, maybe we should focus on a platform which brings people together, one which does not focus on the superficiality of looks but really also hammers pn shared interests. Meeting new people can be frightening, but it is worth it. Surrendering an emotion like love to big corporations seems like yet another step into a dystopia.

So, I leave the ball in your court dear reader.

What do you think of these AI SCs? Would you ever use one or have you used one in the past? How do you feel about the fact that the world is moving in this direction and would you even want to do something about it? Do you think that the number of AI SC users will only continue to grow as LLMs continue to improve?

I leave you with all of these questions, and should you want a further discussion, I invite you to speak with me in real life or email me on my student account.
Thank you very much for reading.

References:

Bandinelli, C., & Gandini, A. (2022). Dating apps: The uncertainty of marketised love. Cultural Sociology, 16(3), 423–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/17499755211051559

Dijck, J. v., Poell, T., & Waal, M. d. (2018). The platform society : public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190889760.001.0001/oso-9780190889760

Holtzhausen, N., Fitzgerald, K., Thakur, I., Ashley, J., Rolfe, M., & Pit, S. W. (2020). Swipe-based dating applications use and its association with mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-0373-1

“Je hebt geen idee hoe intiem wij zijn”, Jacob trouwt met AI-chatbot. (2025, September 7). Omroep Brabant. https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4643664/je-hebt-geen-idee-hoe-intiem-wij-zijn-jacob-trouwt-met-ai-chatbot

Joe, C. (2025, April 11). Tinder subscription plans compared. Android Authority. https://www.androidauthority.com/tinder-plus-gold-platinum-3236244/

Kavadias, S., Ladas, K., & Loch, C. (2016). The Transformative Business Model. Harvard Business Review, 1.

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Author: Ian Parabirsing

A lover of music, good coffee and cats. I'm a MSC student at RSM studying Business Information Management. In my blog posts I'll be attempting to write about how technology impacts the consumers and society at large.

VR Dating: More or Less Superficial?

13

October

2022

No ratings yet.

Bored of swiping and wanting more interesting dates? Perhaps a virtual reality (VR) dating experience in the Metaverse might be for you! 

One of the dating applications available on this platform is called “Nevermet” where users can have a dating experience entirely in the Metaverse. Nevermet’s CEO claims to want to change the online dating market, where physical attraction is not the only factor that matters (Harrison, 2022). With this, Nevermet users can only use a virtual image of them (with any customization such as tattoos, piercing, skin colour etc.) for their profile. After a user is matched with their partner, they can decide to go on dates at an imaginary location on Metaverse’s VR world. These imaginary locations are facilitated by the Planet Theta platform, which operates as a social virtual reality where Nevermet users in matches can pick and visit any location on their date (Tolcheva, 2022), such as an apocalyptic wasteland or a restaurant underneath the sea. 

The CEO also believes that more online relationships will be created and become successful in the future as VR technology becomes more immersive in the future (Harrison, 2022). It is also interesting to point out that a lot of things we do nowadays are becoming more and more immersive in the online world. Among the developments and growing popularity in Web 3.0, some of our possessions such as NFTs and Cryptocurrency, or our online persona that we spent time and effort to craft only exist on the internet. Some new dating apps on Metaverse even focuses on these digital possessions, such as “MetaMatch”, where under a similar objective of making online dating less superficial, users with similar psychographs based on their NFT possessions would be matched up (Buckler, 2022). 

Some may see this as allowing users to connect beyond physical attractions, but we could also see this as a move from one superficial focus in dating to another. For example, would a date matching based on the type of cars users own or the shirts that users like sound as equally superficial as common NFT possessions? Also, looking at Nevermet, would not the virtual profile images still allow users to superficially judge each other based on how attractive they are online?

Afterall, we are still at an early stage of Metaverse development, some of these applications are not fully available yet. If the VR world truly becomes more immersive, a lot more aspects of our personality could be integrated online, and superficiality could be combatted in the future. Only time will tell, and the choice to either match up with someone by natural circumstances in the physical world, or by our online persona, is up to us.

References:

Buckler, N., 2022. Metaverse Dating: Can You Find Love Based on What NFTs You Hold?. [online]         BeInCrypto. Available at: <https://beincrypto.com/metaverse-dating-find-love-based-nfts-you-        hold/> [Accessed 13 October 2022].

Harrison, M., 2022. People Are Going on Dates in the Metaverse and It Sounds Very Strange. [online]      Futurism. Available at: <https://futurism.com/the-byte/dating-metaverse> [Accessed 13 October 2022].

Tolcheva, S., 2022. Metaverse Dating: What Is It and How Does It Work?. [online] MUO. Available at:    <https://www.makeuseof.com/metaverse-dating-explained/> [Accessed 13 October 2022].

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Swipe Right!

19

October

2018

No ratings yet. A lot of studies show different number on how many people are using dating site. One thing is for sure there are a lot of people using online dating platforms and the numbers keep increasing.

We are the first generation to have approximately 10+ years to be dating. Our grandparents were the first generation to get married to someone whom they loved. Now love alone is not enough if we can get love and compatibility (Tsaih, 2018). Bapna et al., (2016) proved that most married couples have similar characteristics. So it is no surprise that more and more people are using online dating platforms which makes it easier to find a match with similar characteristics. Anufriev (2018) even expects that the effectiveness and speed of the online dating services will improve due to the technological advances. Online dating services might get as important as social networks. I will provide three major trends at significantly change dating as we know it.

  • Genetics

Partners choose each other based on similar characteristics (bapna et al., 2016). Partners with similar DNA profiles are more likely to choose each other (Anufriev, 2018). This finding shows that matching based on DNA will be the future. It will also have implications of ensuring less birth with genetic mutations.

  • Physiology

Before the integrated of genetics, we will asses our partners on a physiological level. For example it is possible to integrate a heart monitor which reveals which partner gets your heart rate up. Also the use of Virtual Reality is also expected in online dating. The possibility to actually feel and experience the partner (Anufriev, 2018)

  • Intelligence

Artificial intelligence will provide intelligent algorithms which track the users’ activity within the application. The user will then be offered profiles of users with the best fit to his of her demand.

What are your insights on online dating and these future trends? Do you think online dating is the new way to go or do stick to the traditional methods of meeting you potential partner? Feel free to comment!

 

Author: 431453mt

sources:

Anufriev, N. (2018). Three major trends of the future of online dating – DateCoin – Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/datecoin/three-major-trends-of-the-future-of-online-dating-45defcedba50

Bapna, R., Ramaprasad, J., Shmueli, G., and Umyarov, A. (2016). One-way mirrors in online dating: A randomized field experiment. Management Science, 62(11), 3100-3122

Safronova, V. (2018). An Inside Look at Your Favorite Dating Sites. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/style/match-shaadi-league-farmersonly-dating-apps.html

 

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Your Romance Is So Boolean…

8

October

2016

3.89/5 (19) Chances are big you have ever tried an online dating application. Or at least considered one. It no longer is a taboo if you met your fiancée through the world wide web. Online dating applications such as Tinder, OkCupid and Match have millions of users per day. They range from testosterone driven adventure seekers to incurable romantics. Nonetheless, they are all searching for the perfect match.

In the quest of finding this perfect match, users have many conversations and look at even more profiles. This creates an enormous amount of valuable data. But how can we use this data? Will data analysts become the new Cupids and brew love potions? Is it even possible to catch abstract concepts such as love and romance in algorithms, in order to find a perfect match?

According to Christian Rudder, founder of OkCupid, the problem is not in the algorithms, but in the data itself: “My intuition is that most of what users enter is true, but people do misunderstand themselves.” That is where big data comes into play. Why would we ask people to fill in questionnaires, would it not be better to find this data statistically?

Nowadays, we know so much about a person through analysing their behaviour on the internet. On a dating profile, one can easily state he loves classical music. However, his Spotify-history or iTunes purchases could reveal he actually listens to pop music most of the time. Everyone knows how important a first impression is. If you are not into snobs, why would a dating applications even bother to show people with a Ralph Lauren loyalty card?

Big data offer enormous opportunities to online dating application. At the same time, these opportunities raise serious issues. What about privacy concerns? How will such an influence affect people’s social skills? Would you like to be introduced to your future wife by your computer?

 

References:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26613909

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