Singles using AI to date up 300 percent from last year, says Match

In an online landscape where AI is everywhere, including dating apps, it's not shocking that some singles are using AI to meet a partner.

Just over a quarter, 26 percent of singles, are using artificial intelligence to enhance their dating lives, according to Match's latest Singles in America study. This is a whopping 333 percent increase from 2024.

Match and the Kinsey Institute surveyed around 5,000 U.S. singles between the ages of 18 and 98. According to the report, nearly half of Gen Z singles have already used AI in their dating lives, whether to better craft their profiles or messages, or to screen for compatibility. Out of all singles, 44 percent said they'd like AI to help filter matches, and 40 percent want help creating the perfect dating profile. 

Meanwhile, 44 percent consider it a dealbreaker to use AI to alter their photos, and 36 percent consider it a dealbreaker to use AI to generate conversations. Some daters Mashable spoke to earlier this year believe AI shouldn't be used in dating at all, as it's disingenuous, but others see it as another tool of the trade.

"AI isn't replacing intimacy, it's giving singles an edge," said Dr. Amanda Gesselman, psychologist at Kinsey and Match's director of sex and relationship science, in the press release. "For a generation overwhelmed by options, tools that bring clarity and efficiency are more than welcome."

While Gesselman says AI isn't replacing intimacy, Match found that 16 percent of singles have engaged with AI as a romantic companion. This soars to 33 percent of Gen Z and then 23 percent of millennials. A different, non-Match survey from April found that 8 in 10 members of Gen Z would marry an AI. An expert told Mashable at the time that it makes sense given that younger people are digital natives, but it comes with risks. Some researchers say AI companions are dangerous for minors because they could develop an emotional dependence on them.

It seems that singles are leaning into both technology and romance. Seven in 10 respondents said that they believe in destiny when it comes to relationships, with 73 percent of singles believing in forever love. Belief in love at first sight has increased to 60 percent, up from 34 percent in 2014.

But people may not actually be seeing this play out IRL. Thirty-nine percent of singles say they don't know anyone in their life who represents "relationship goals." People are looking to social media for their ideas on modern love.

"Reality TV and Instagram have made love feel more like a highlight reel than a lived experience," said Gesselman. "The pressure to find something picture-perfect can be paralyzing."

Reality TV, Instagram — and AI. Forty-five percent of survey respondents said AI partners make them feel more understood, and active daters are three times more likely than inactive daters to turn to AI for companionship. And 40 percent say having an AI boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating — a debate that Mashable has weighed in on.

But will daters even want a human companion if AI "understands" them? We might have to wait for the 2026 survey to know.

See more survey results at Singles in America.