Dating app happn launches AI-powered date ideas

Like seemingly every tech company, dating apps are going all-in on AI features. At a time when daters are sick of apps and want to meet people in person, apps are trying to incentivize users by leaning into more tech.

Happn just introduced such a feature, but the app itself is different from most. Happn seeks to connect users who have already crossed paths IRL. The app has 165 million users worldwide (six in the U.S. and four in the UK), and also lets users "Crush" (match) with each other

Now, happn is launching Perfect Date, an AI date spot generator. Perfect Date is powered by a large language model (LMM) to help daters who are suffering from app "burnout."

After two people have Crush, Perfect Date provides a selection of different date venues tailored to the two users' tastes, based on the information they provide. The feature is only activated when prompted by the user.

Credit: happn

Credit: happn

"AI shouldn't be making the decisions for users. Instead, it should help them unlock a path to bring the conversation back toward real-life situations," President and CEO of Happn Karima Ben Abdelmalek, said in the press release. "With Perfect Date, our goal is to help people reconnect, without trying to force them into a box with a one-size-fits-all solution. We're making it easier, reducing the pressure, and helping provide experiences that reflect who our users really are."

Other apps have sought to help curb dating app burnout as well. Last year, Hinge introduced Your Turn Limits, a cap on how many unanswered messages a user has in the app. In an interview last May with Hinge founder and CEO Justin McLeod, when the app was testing the feature, he said the goal was in part to reduce burnout. Bumble also switched up its "women make the first move" ethos last year with a way that a user of any gender can message first with Opening Moves. This was, as then-CEO Lidiane Jones said, a response to the "exhaustion" with the current online dating experience.

This is also one of many AI-powered dating app features released as of late. Major apps have baked AI into their apps now. Earlier this year, Mashable compared AI features on Bumble, Tinder, and Hinge. Grindr, the most recognizable gay hookup app, is testing several AI features including AI chat summaries (yes, like Gmail has).

Now, inclined happn users can get some help figuring out a date spot if they're too tired to find one themselves. The press release states that Perfect Date will be available to UK users soon.