Tinder Bets on AI to Cure ‘swipe Fatigue’

Tinder just introduced an AI feature called Chemistry, and it’s explicitly built to end swipe fatigue. The idea: ask users questions, learn a bit more (yes, your Camera Roll with permission), and show fewer, higher-probability matches instead of an endless thumb workout.

AI finds religion: Chemistry is currently in tests in Australia and uses Q&A plus optional Camera Roll access to understand interests and personality.

• Users can answer targeted questions to get “a single drop or two” instead of swiping forever.
• Camera Roll access is optional, but it’s how the AI learns visual cues and hobbies.
• Tinder already saw a 50%+ drop in bad-actor interactions after adding Face Check, so verification moves work.

Is it time to freak out? Sort of. Privacy alarm bells are valid, but this isn’t stealthy data scraping. Camera Roll access is permission-based, and Tinder’s pitch is better relevance, not surveillance. Still, people give permissions and forget about them. That math favors cautious skepticism.

From a product stand point, this could actually fix a real problem: users are tired, subscriptions are slipping, and new sign-ups are down. Tinder’s monthly active users fell about 9% year-over-year, and new registrations dropped ~5%. Match beat Q4 revenue estimates with $878M, but weak guidance proves the apocalypse isn’t over - so they’re pairing AI with a $50M marketing blitz to make Tinder “cool again.”

Bottom line: AI won’t magically create chemistry, but it can stop you from mindlessly swiping into oblivion. If Chemistry works, dating apps stop being slot machines and start being actual matchmakers. If it flops, at least we’ll have new TikTok creators explaining why their Camera Roll was accessed by a robot.