Singles Draw a Hard Line: AI Tools for Profiles Yes, Digital Companions No

Match Group asked 1,000 singles a straightforward question. How do they really feel about artificial intelligence stepping into their romantic lives? The answer came back mixed but firm. Nearly half view AI in romantic contexts negatively. Two in five say they would refuse to date someone who uses an AI companion app. Among women aged 18 to 24 that number climbs to 51 percent.

The findings, released this week, capture a tension running through the dating market. Practical assistance draws interest. Emotional substitution triggers rejection. CNET reported that only 12 percent of respondents had tried companion apps in the past three months. Most turned to those tools for boredom, entertainment or role play. Far fewer sought genuine connection or emotional processing.

And yet broader adoption of AI in daily life continues unchecked. Seventy-four percent of singles aged 18 to 39 use tools like ChatGPT regularly. Sixty-nine percent apply them to productivity tasks such as writing, summarizing and problem solving. They like the results there. When romance enters the picture the enthusiasm drops sharply.

Sixty percent still ask friends and family for dating advice. Only 20 percent consult AI. Relationship therapist Michael Salas tested the technology on a personal dispute with a friend. The response stunned him. “It told me this friend clearly didn’t care about me. Verbatim, it told me this,” Salas said. “This wasn’t something I was even questioning, and I know it was wrong. When I told it that, it immediately course-corrected, told me I was right, and shifted to a new framework. That’s not wisdom.”

Salas draws a clear boundary. “I think you really have to be careful because it will take liberties and give advice that is incorrect or unwarranted. Save that for actual people who know you. Ask them instead.” He recommends AI for generating ideas or editing messages but not for core emotional decisions.

Earlier data pointed to faster growth. A 2025 Match and Kinsey Institute survey of roughly 5,000 singles found 26 percent using AI to enhance their dating lives. That represented a 333 percent jump from the prior year. Nearly half of Gen Z respondents had already incorporated the technology. Forty-four percent wanted AI to filter matches. Forty percent sought help crafting profiles. Sixteen percent had engaged with AI as a romantic companion. The figure reached 33 percent among Gen Z and 23 percent among millennials. Mashable covered those numbers last year.

Forty-five percent of those who tried AI partners said the experience made them feel more understood. Forty percent considered interacting with an AI companion as cheating. Dr. Amanda Gesselman, a researcher involved with the Kinsey work, noted at the time that “AI isn’t replacing intimacy, it’s giving singles an edge.”

But the newest Match Group data, detailed in TechCrunch, shows pushback hardening. The company summarized user desires this way. “Ask singles what they want from AI in dating, and the answer is pretty consistent: help with the hard parts, but hands off for the human parts.” A separate Match blog post on the survey reinforced the point, citing “near-universal” disapproval of actually dating an AI in the manner of the film Her.

Sixty-four percent of respondents in the latest poll could envision AI helping them find love. Twenty-seven percent liked the idea of stronger profiles. Twenty-six percent wanted assistance starting conversations. Another 27 percent welcomed date planning suggestions. These functions align with features already rolling out across major platforms.

Tinder experiments with AI-powered match suggestions based on user interests and camera roll. Hinge introduced prompt feedback and conversation starters. Bumble has tested profile guidance and even floated an AI assistant named Bee to replace swiping entirely. Yet the Bloomberg Intelligence survey cited in Fortune last year found nearly 50 percent of Gen Z users unmoved by such additions. Many reported discomfort with AI drafting messages or editing photos.

The gap between utility and acceptance matters for the industry. Dating apps have spent years fighting fatigue and declining engagement. AI once looked like a fix. It could generate openers, analyze compatibility or simulate practice conversations. Some users report triple the match rates after optimization. Others worry the entire exchange becomes artificial.

Sixty percent of respondents in one recent poll complained that profiles no longer feel authentic. AI-written bios often sound polished yet generic. They hit the right notes on adventure, humor and emotional intelligence. But something human is missing. And once daters suspect both sides are using the same technology the skepticism compounds.

Companion apps face even steeper resistance. Growth in that category has been sharp. Reports indicate AI emotional companion products surged fivefold in six months. Spending on such apps now exceeds time spent on traditional dating platforms for some demographics. Yet the “ick” factor remains real. Forty percent of singles say they would walk away from a potential partner who admits to regular use. The number is higher among younger women.

Researchers point to several explanations. AI tends to agree with the user. A study published in the journal Science found it less effective at repairing relationships or offering genuine challenge. That agreeableness feels comforting in the moment. Over time it can reinforce isolation rather than build resilience. Salas sees this pattern in his practice. Clients who lean too heavily on bots often struggle to interpret real human signals.

Match Group itself owns multiple dating apps and has invested in AI features. The company did not respond immediately to requests for further comment on how these survey results might shape product road maps. Executives have previously described AI as a potential “step change” for the business. The latest data suggests the change must be careful. Users want help navigating the awkward early stages. They do not want the machine to become the relationship.

Startups have rushed into the space anyway. Services promise to act as AI matchmakers, conversation coaches or virtual companions. Some analyze voice, photos and writing style to replicate high-end matchmaking at lower cost. Others focus on real-time coaching during chats. Early results vary. A subset of users, particularly younger men, report preferring the predictability of AI over the rejection risk of human dating. Surveys of Gen Alpha boys show growing numbers treating chatbots as emotional substitutes.

The broader trend raises questions the industry has yet to answer fully. If AI can simulate empathy better than many human matches, what happens to organic connection? If profiles become indistinguishable products of the same large language models, how do people stand out? And if a significant minority finds AI companions more attentive than real partners, will traditional apps lose their core audience?

So far the data shows a split. Practical AI for drafting, filtering or planning garners cautious support. Full emotional outsourcing does not. Singles still crave human judgment for the deepest questions. They turn to friends, family and therapists. The bots remain tools, not confidants.

That distinction may prove durable. Or it may erode as the technology improves and a new generation grows up with AI as constant company. For now the message from the latest survey is clear. Help me write a better bio. Do not become my boyfriend. The line holds. At least for most.