- Hinge’s new Convo Starters feature uses AI to suggest personalized opening lines between matches
- The suggestions are based on user profiles, but the message itself must be composed by a human
- The tool is designed to increase trust and help users send more thoughtful first messages
Hinge is starting to use AI to help solve that awkward moment in modern dating where you have to actually message a match. The app’s new Convo Starters feature uses AI to provide personalized suggestions for what to say to someone after you “like” their profile.
Instead of staring at a blank text box and typing “hey” for the millionth time, daters now see three tailored messages that could nudge them toward something thoughtful and specific, something worth responding to.
The opening line is crucial. According to Hinge’s data, likes accompanied by a comment lead to dates about twice as often as those without a comment. If you feel too awkward or intimidated to say anything, you may miss your chance. Convo Starters read the profile of the user they are responding to and offer ideas based on the photos or written messages on the other person’s page.
Hinge emphasizes that these suggestions are not pre-written messages. The AI doesn’t give you a sentence to insert, only topics to talk about, which research shows are often successful. The app’s team of behavioral scientists helped define what makes a successful opener.
Usually, it’s questions that invite dialogue or comments that show genuine curiosity, and the generative model adapts those insights to each profile. Early testing showed that 35% of users felt more confident about reaching out when they saw the suggestions, and people generally sent more comments with their likes.
This may seem like a small tweak in an already crowded era of dating app features, but it shows how AI is becoming more visible in dating apps. Instead of simply suggesting matches, optimizing profiles and discovering bots, AI steps directly into the conversation.
Most of the world isn’t made up of people who can make a disarming but charming opener at a moment’s notice. A boost that doesn’t take over is exactly what Hinge uses AI to deliver through Convo Starters. And for every romantic purist who insists that first messages be organic, there are a dozen jaded daters who are quietly relieved to have at least a hint of where to begin.
AI dating help
This tension is visible all over the dating world. Tinder has experimented with AI profile helpers and even AI chat “practice partners.” Bumble is building recommendation AI into its identity. Smaller apps are exploring compatibility prediction systems and automatic red flag detection. The common thread is that dating apps are no longer just matchmakers; they become coaches and assistants.
Convo Starters also represent Hinge’s latest move toward deeper, more expressive profiles. The new quick feedback tool is designed to help people reveal more meaningful details about themselves.
Now Hinge is turning this AI support toward conversation, encouraging users to recognize something specific in each other instead of relying on generic openers that coalesce over time.
Several matches may turn into actual exchanges. People might hesitate less and start talking more. AI can make users strike a spark that wouldn’t otherwise exist. AI will not fix dating; nothing will, but it might even out the uneven opening phase.
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