Tinder’s New AI Feature Isn’t Trying to Play Games. Here’s How It Stacks Up

After spending much of my day dealing with technology, I’m not so inclined to then do my socializing via technology as well. But I can’t say no to artificial intelligence that’s been created specifically to enhance in-person interaction.

For instance, I had a lot of fun working with an AI humanoid to test out flirting through conversation, so I couldn’t help but be curious about Tinder’s newest AI-powered dating feature.

Tinder has a game?

While Tinder launched way back in 2012, The Game was only just introduced on April 1. (I’m sure partly due to the wave of comically inclined, though fake, April Fools’ Day marketing campaigns.) But this one wasn’t a joke: The Game was created in partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI as part of a limited-time offering of speech-to-speech AI technology. 

The Game aims to generate incredibly cheesy, over-the-top voices and scenarios to help test your “game” in a seemingly conversational, lighthearted manner. If you’re looking for help with emotional processing, this probably isn’t the experience for you.

After re-creating a Tinder profile, I chucked some AI-enhanced photos into the app and initiated The Game.

Why was I nervous? It’s likely because conversations involving compliments instead of intellectual banter feel like a prickly growth edge. Can’t we just skip the small talk? (Apparently not.)

How to use Tinder’s The Game to practice dating 

I appreciate that Tinder integrated The Game into all subscription models, making it accessible for all of its customers. Playing The Game is pretty straightforward: 

1. First, open the Tinder app and (re)create an account if you don’t already have one. 
2. Once you’re signed in, tap the logo in the top-left corner of the screen to enter The Game.
3. You’ll be prompted to answer a few questions about yourself to help provide information on the scenarios most suited to your preferences. 
4. Now you can “draw” your cards to create a generated scenario. Each deck of cards features a unique AI persona and a “meet-cute” setup — think accidental luggage swap or spilling coffee as you pass by. Each scenario is also rated by difficulty level. You have the option to Reroll your deck of cards if you don’t like the scenario it gives you. 
5. Now it’s time to play! At the top of the screen, you’ll see three flames — your goal is to spark chemistry and steer the conversation toward a date. Your screen will light up as you speak. 
6. As the conversation progresses, AI-generated feedback will appear below. I was told multiple times to “not speak in riddles” and “be clear about what I want.” That tracks.
7. After each interaction, you’ll receive or lose points depending on how the conversation goes. If you’re able to cinch a date, technically, you “win.” You also have the option to save your score and share it with others. 

Who should use Tinder’s AI dating game?

I’m aware that The Game isn’t a unique tool within AI’s field but a unique tool within the dating app market. For someone who likes to bundle as many activities into a platform at once, I can see the benefit of using it to practice conversations and flirting without needing another platform. 

However, I found gaps within the content itself. I enjoyed speaking to a generated human who I could see and build rapport with versus quick scenarios that left me hanging — like when my French AI persona spent most of the date exchanging goodbyes because there wasn’t enough data programmed into his character to generate further conversation. 

Hopefully, The Game will start adding more responses once more people interact with it, providing feedback that the data scientists and machine learning engineers can use to further train the AI model. (Though it’s only available for a limited time, I’m unsure if that will happen.)

My multiple rounds spent playing The Game garnered a few laughs, and there was satisfaction from successfully securing a date within each scenario. Still, I didn’t necessarily feel more prepared for dating in real life. I believe the sentiment is nice, but when partnered with OpenAI, I have to question its intentionality and value versus user reaction.

I very well may just not be its target audience. And that’s OK — but I still have opinions. After navigating The Game for a couple of days, this is where I stand: 

• Did I enhance my conversational and flirting skills? No, but I did practice them, which would naturally enhance them over time. 
• Did I gain confidence before engaging in real-life interactions? Maybe, but whether that’s due to its gamified nature or my actual dopamine levels is debatable. 
• Did I experience a novel and interactive feature within the dating app? Yes. 

Tinder’s The Game is light-hearted, low-stakes, and novel — but it’s not created to be anything more than that.