Amid dating app fatigue and concerns over the safety of its users, Grindr is testing out highly priced subscriptions that will incorporate AI into finding people matches.
The app for gay and bisexual men shows users’ profiles in a grid for those in the immediate vicinity, with photos, stats and bios aimed at letting users find people to meet who are a match, ranging from hook-ups 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, based on messages that may reveal the user to be under 18. Since December, Grindr, in complying with eSafety online codes, has also begun age-checking its users in Australia through facial age or ID checks.
It is early days, but it is hoped that this check will limit underage users, and also stop those who have used the app under false pretences to arrange to meet men only to then attack and in some cases rob those who they target.
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry established last week will investigate these crimes, and the potential role of “manosphere” influencers in encouraging these attacks, following Guardian Australia reporting.
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Since Grindr went public in 2022, it has increasingly made many of the features, and the longer distances users can see other users, available in paid subscription tiers, and incorporated pop-up advertising for those on free accounts.
Edge, the new AI feature first trialled in Australia and New Zealand in 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. Pricing appears to differ depending on the market, with some US users reporting prices of US$349 a month.
Features include AI summaries of the conversations a user has had with others, meaning when visiting another city they can reconnect with that user without having to dig through messages. Dubbed the “gAI” by Grindr, the model also identifies users who are likely a match, based on stats and conversation history, who the user interacts with and whether they’re likely to initiate conversation.
Grindr’s global chief marketing officer, Tristan Pineiro, told Guardian Australia the company often pilots its new features in Australia.
“Australia is a great test market for us. It’s a market of early adopters and we find that Australians embrace giving us feedback.”
Pineiro admitted that the “lion’s share” of Grindr users remain on the free plan, which does not have any AI features, but those users would have their profiles matched with users on the Edge plan – unless they choose to opt out of 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 made very clear to people that there is a possibility to opt out because a lot of people don’t necessarily want these features or more worried about their data [but] we have very tight, legal contracts in place,” he said.
Additionally, sexual health information is excluded from the information the AI has access to, he said.
Amid growing competition from similar platforms such as Sniffies, Grindr has not had the same level of gen Z dating app fatigue as other apps report, Pineiro said, with strong use among 18 to 24-year-olds because of the immediacy of the connection when a user logs in.
“You can go there any time, you can chat to people instantly and be delighted to get a response. There’s no barriers.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
