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By Maria Morava
Relationships Reporter
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The days of agonizing over the perfect profile picture may be coming to an end.
On July 17, Tinder announced it was releasing a new feature called "Photo Selector", which uses artificial intelligence to help users select their dating profile picture. The tool requires a selfie for facial recognition and access to the user's camera roll. Then, it curates a selection of photos to peruse through and select the ones most fitting for the dating profile.
A study commissioned by Tinder revealed that single people aged 18-24 report spending an average of 33 minutes selecting the "right profile photo" for their dating app—the Photo Selector feature, the app claims, will free up users' time to focus on matching and meeting people.
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"We're proud to be the first dating app to roll out an AI tool that can make the profile-building experience significantly easier—an area we know is one of the hardest parts of dating," Faye Iosotaluno, CEO of Tinder said in a press release. "As demonstrated by our Photo Selector feature, we're developing AI tech to assist you in making decisions, not to make them for you."
The app claims the new feature is in high demand: 68 percent of Tinder users said an AI feature for photo selection would be helpful, according to the commissioned study. An overwhelming 85 percent of singles reported that their dating app profiles are "important to represent their true selves".
This authentic representation seems to matter for matches, too. The study found that men who include more than one photo of their face on their profiles increase their likelihood of matching with women by 71 percent.
The Use of AI for Safety Concerns
While AI-powered tools seem to be booming in all aspects of digital life lately, it's not Tinder's first run with the technology. In 2021, Tinder released a feature called "Are You Sure?" which used AI to detect offensive language and warn users before sending a message that might be harmful. The tool belongs to a growing cohort of harm-reduction actions taken by the company to prevent harassment on the app.
CEO Iosotaluno spoke about the company's use of AI for safety in her statement, saying: "Our commitment to our users is clear and equally applies to our view of AI: at Tinder, we develop innovative technologies to create a safer space for people to make authentic connections."
The measures come at a time when people are growing frustrated with dating apps—from safety concerns, to burnout, to the recent lawsuits plaguing some of the industry's biggest actors, not everyone is on board with the way the apps have transformed modern dating.
A 2023 survey from Pew Research Center found that 55 percent of adults who have used a dating app or site in the past year reported they "often or sometimes felt insecure" about the number of messages they received. Over half of surveyed women under 50 years old reported being sent a sexually explicit message or image they didn't ask for, while 63 percent of men said they believe they've encountered a scammer on the apps.
Tinder's Photo Selector will be available in the U.S. in July and internationally later this summer.
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