Facebook adds an AI assistant to its dating app

Facebook Dating is rolling out a new AI assistant alongside a feature called Meet Cute, both designed to make online dating feel less like an endless cycle of swiping. The assistant lives inside the Matches tab and responds to natural prompts such as “find me a Brooklyn girl in tech” or “someone I could bring home to my parents.” Meta says it can also suggest ways to improve your profile and even offer ideas for potential date activities. Meet Cute works differently, pairing you with a surprise match once a week. You can opt out if you prefer, but the idea is to introduce variety and avoid the feeling of repetition that dating apps are often criticized for. The launch is starting in the United States and Canada.

Meta is adding these features as an answer to swipe fatigue, a phrase used to describe the burnout that comes from repeated scrolling through endless profiles. According to the company, matches among people aged 18 to 29 are up 10 percent compared to the previous year, and hundreds of thousands of young adults are signing up for Facebook Dating each month. The timing of the update suggests that Meta sees younger users as a key audience and is willing to test different approaches to keep them engaged.

The assistant is built on Meta’s AI technology, which is reported to include its Llama models. The company stresses that it works with information already visible in profiles rather than hidden behavioral data. That means it uses what people choose to share on Facebook Dating, not data inferred behind the scenes. The weekly Meet Cute feature can be turned off, so you are not forced into surprise matches if you prefer more control.

While this approach may reassure some users, it still raises practical questions about how the prompts shape the pool of matches you see. A request that is too specific could narrow your options and reduce the variety of people you come across, while a broader prompt might surface connections you had not expected. The decision to add AI features follows a wider trend in the dating industry. Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid, signed a major deal with OpenAI in 2024 and has already integrated AI into tools like Tinder’s Photo Selector. Hinge and Bumble also offer writing aids for prompts and messages.