Bumble tests AI matchmaker and experiments with swipe-free profiles

Dating app company Bumble is introducing an artificial intelligence assistant called Bee to act as a personal matchmaker for its users. According to Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, the new AI assistant is currently in its pilot phase and is being tested internally. However, the company plans to launch the tool into beta soon. Bee is designed to learn about individual users’ values and communication styles through private chats, using these insights to help find more relevant matches on the platform.

In tandem with the AI rollout, Bumble is experimenting with removing its signature swipe mechanism in select markets to see how users react. Instead of prioritizing the traditional binary swipe, the company is shifting toward “chapter-based” profiles where members can connect over specific parts of a user’s life story. Wolfe Herd explained that these updates are intended to drive better key performance indicators (KPIs) across the platform, such as user engagement and conversation quality. By introducing more dynamic ways for users to express interest in a person’s story rather than just their profile, the company hopes to spark better conversations and drive dynamic engagement across the board. “You will also see us take a much more deliberate approach to getting people offline versus just in what people refer to as dead-end chat zones,” Wolfe Herd told investors.

The strategic shift was announced alongside Bumble’s fourth-quarter earnings report on Wednesday. The company reported strong financial results for the quarter, driven by an increase in user monetization:

• Total Q4 revenue reached $224.2 million.
• Average revenue per paying user (ARPU) rose 7.9% to $22.20.

Following the release of the earnings report, Bumble stock rallied some 40%.

This AI-focused overhaul builds on Bumble’s history of safety-oriented features, which previously included “body-shaming bans” and “tools that blurred unsolicited explicit images.” By integrating generative AI, the company seeks to differentiate its platform from competitors like Tinder and combat declining engagement among Gen Z users. The transition to AI-driven matchmaking and alternative profile formats represents a strategic effort to improve user retention and conversation quality across the app.

Why it matters

Bumble is integrating generative AI to differentiate itself from competitors like Tinder and combat declining engagement among Gen Z users, while simultaneously testing a move away from its signature swipe mechanism to improve retention.