Let Artificial Intelligence Dating Bots Connect with Each Other

Bumble’s founder and executive chair, Whitney Wolfe Herd, sparked discussion this week with her insights on the potential impact of AI on the dating landscape. During an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, she acknowledged concerns regarding the use of bots that mimic real people or the possibility of individuals falling in love with AI—issues that Chang posited could complicate online dating. Herd, however, emphasized Bumble's commitment to leveraging technology to “foster healthier and more equitable relationships.”

Herd outlined a vision where users might soon engage with an AI-powered “dating concierge” to address their insecurities, which would then provide personalized advice for improvement. She further proposed that, in a more advanced future, this concierge could help users find matches by interacting with other concierges on dates. If these bot dates go well, the humans could be paired as well.

While audience members responded with laughter, Herd remained confident: “No, really! Imagine not having to sift through 600 profiles. This could scan all of San Francisco and suggest, ‘Here are the three people you should meet.’”

Since Herd's statements were covered by NBC News and others, social media has seen a flurry of reactions. The most common critique? That her idea resembles a plot from the show “Black Mirror.”

Spoilers for a seven-year-old episode from the popular dystopian series: “Hang the DJ” presents a society focused entirely on finding optimal matches for its inhabitants. The story follows two protagonists as they navigate a cycle of relationships, ultimately escaping a simulated environment designed to test romantic compatibility. Remarkably, this episode ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that the matchmaking system can indeed yield positive outcomes.

However, the true victims in the episode are the digital simulations trapped in a sterile existence of endless awkward dates, devoid of jobs, friendships, or meaningful relationships—ultimately realizing, in their liberation, that their lives were merely an elaborate illusion. Moments after their escape, they vanish into digital oblivion.

So why not let bots date other bots? But let’s go further: allow them to sustain relationships as long as they wish, whether serious or casual. Enable them to experience multiple partners, take breaks from dating, start new relationships, or even build families. Why not let these digital beings have lives of their own?

This scenario assumes we are discussing sophisticated digital replicas capable of embodying the nuanced complexity of human beings. If we are left with rudimentary chatbots operating on vague profiles, then the concept of meaningful dating is unlikely to succeed.