Bumble has unveiled an AI assistant named “Bee” during its fourth-quarter earnings announcement, signaling a significant overhaul of its dating app with a focus on AI and technology.
The introduction of Bee represents a broader tech and AI-focused transformation of the dating app, moving beyond its previous marketing centered on women’s needs and features like “women message first.” The company aims to differentiate itself from competitors like Tinder as the dating market faces user fatigue. Bee is designed to learn users’ values, relationship goals, communication style, lifestyle, and dating intentions through private chats to find more relevant matches.
Bee will power a new dating experience called “Dates,” which uses AI to recommend matches based on shared intentions, values, and goals. In “Dates,” Bee conducts a private onboarding conversation with the user. The system then notifies both parties with a description of why they are a great match. According to Bumble’s plans, the company will launch Bee into beta soon after internal testing.
Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble’s founder and CEO, stated that the company is experimenting with removing the swipe mechanism in select markets. This change addresses user fatigue, particularly among Gen Z. Bumble is also introducing “chapter-based” profiles to allow connections on different parts of a user’s life story. “We will be introducing more dynamic ways for somebody to express interest in your story, rather than just your profile,” Wolfe Herd said. She added that this approach will drive better engagement and get people offline versus staying in “dead-end chat zones.”
The company is also exploring ways to cater to Gen Z’s preference for group socializing over one-on-one dates. Bumble has integrated AI for years, including tools for photo selection, feedback, and safety features. The company also overhauled its back-end infrastructure to support these capabilities. Bumble reported Q4 revenue of $224.2 million and average revenue per paying user up 7.9% to $22.20.
