# Hinge Uses AI to Boost Gen Z Confidence: What Founders Need to Know _Hinge's AI tools help Gen Z users start conversations, addressing their social confidence gap. Founders should consider AI's role in user engagement._ Source: https://highintentmedia.com/news/lack-confidence-drives-dating-ai-use Author: High Intent Newsroom Published: 2026-07-29T08:23:32+00:00 Last updated: 2026-07-31T16:44:43.999913+00:00 Category: Product ## Summary Hinge is leveraging AI to address Gen Z's lack of social confidence in dating, offering tools for conversation prompts and profile suggestions. This strategy has contributed to Hinge's UK user base growing to 1.5 million adults by May 2025, matching Tinder's audience. Dating app founders should consider how AI can boost user engagement and address confidence gaps, but also consider the broader implications of AI reliance on social skill development. ## Key takeaways - Hinge uses AI for conversation prompts and profile suggestions, targeting Gen Z's social confidence gap. - Gen Z spends 1,000 fewer hours socializing annually compared to two decades ago, contributing to loneliness. - By May 2025, Hinge's UK user base reached 1.5 million adults, matching Tinder's declining audience. - Hinge's AI features are positioned as confidence-building aids, not full automation. - The pandemic interrupted formative years for Gen Z to practice in-person social skills. ## FAQ ### Why is Gen Z struggling with confidence in dating? Gen Z struggles with dating confidence because they spend about 1,000 fewer hours per year socializing in person compared to two decades ago, leading to increased loneliness. The COVID pandemic also interrupted formative years, limiting opportunities to practice in-person social skills crucial for dating, according to Hinge's CEO. ### How does Hinge use AI to help its users? Hinge uses AI to help users by providing conversation prompts and suggesting improvements for their profiles. Hinge's CEO states these tools are designed to build confidence and help users express themselves, rather than to automate the dating process or write conversations for them. ### What is Hinge's market position compared to competitors like Tinder? Hinge's market position has strengthened, with its UK user base growing to 1.5 million adults by May 2025. This growth allowed Hinge to roughly match Tinder's UK audience, which declined to 1.5 million over the same period. This indicates a shift in user preference within the dating app market. ### Are young people in the UK feeling more lonely? Yes, young people in the UK are reporting increased loneliness. According to Hinge's chief executive, almost half of Gen Z adults in the UK report feeling lonely 'often or always.' This trend is linked to reduced in-person socialization, with young people spending more than two hours a day on phones rather than with others. - Hinge CEO says Gen Z users lack confidence in dating compared to older generations, with many turning to AI tools for help starting conversations - Young people now spend around 1,000 fewer hours per year socializing in person compared to two decades ago, contributing to widespread loneliness - Hinge's UK user base grew to 1.5 million adults by May 2025, roughly matching Tinder which saw its audience decline over the same period - AI features on dating apps offer conversation prompts and profile suggestions, positioned as confidence-building tools rather than complete automation A generation that grew up with smartphones is now struggling to navigate the dating world without digital assistance. According to Hinge's chief executive, young singles are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to help them overcome social anxiety and start romantic conversations, a phenomenon that reflects broader changes in how people socialize and connect. Hinge chief executive Jackie Jantos has said that many single people in their 20s are using artificial intelligence tools to start conversations on dating apps because they lack the confidence more common among older generations. Speaking on the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast, Jantos said Gen Z users "absolutely want love" but are "struggling to have the confidence to put themselves out there" as they socialise less face-to-face than previous cohorts. Gen Z accounts for more than half of Hinge's monthly active users. Young person using smartphone for dating apps Jantos pointed to data showing that people of this age group now spend around 1,000 fewer hours a year in the physical company of others compared with those of the same age two decades ago. She described this as more than two hours a day typically spent on phones rather than with other people, contributing to loneliness. Almost half of Gen Z adults in the UK report feeling lonely "often or always," she said. The Covid pandemic, she added, interrupted formative years when many would have practised in-person social skills, flirting and intimacy. ## How AI Features Are Reshaping Dating Apps Hinge, founded in 2012 and owned by Match Group (which also owns Tinder and Match.com), offers an AI feature that generates conversation prompts and another that reviews profiles and suggests improvements. Jantos defended the tools, saying they are "not about writing words for you" but about "helping you express who you are." She rejected the idea that they encourage users to outsource dating to AI, describing them instead as confidence-building aids. > Gen Z users "absolutely want love" but are "struggling to have the confidence to put themselves out there" as they socialise less face-to-face than previous cohorts. Couple meeting through dating app The company has continued to expand its UK user base. Ipsos iris data show 1.5 million adults used Hinge in the year to May 2025, up from 1.4 million the previous year. Over the same period Tinder's audience fell from 1.9 million to 1.5 million, leaving the two apps roughly level. Bumble and Grindr rank next. Hinge markets itself with the slogan "designed to be deleted," which Jantos said reflects a genuine aim of helping users form long-term relationships rather than keeping them on the platform indefinitely. ## Growing Fatigue With Digital Dating Relationship researchers and matchmakers have noted wider fatigue with dating apps. Dr Carolina Bandinelli, associate professor at the University of Warwick, said the pandemic reinforced the sense that apps were the main way to meet people, but that the sector is now "past the hype." Apps promised access to a large pool of potential partners and reduced risk of rejection, yet the absence of social cues often leaves users "guessing" rather than choosing, she said. > Apps promised access to a large pool of potential partners and reduced risk of rejection, yet the absence of social cues often leaves users "guessing" rather than choosing. Person reflecting on online dating experience AI provides a way to automate part of the process and can soften the blow of an ignored message if it wasn't written by the user themselves. This technological assistance addresses both practical concerns about crafting the right message and emotional vulnerabilities around rejection. However, it also raises questions about authenticity and whether relying on AI might further reduce opportunities to develop the social skills that young people are already struggling to build. - The decline in face-to-face socialization, with young people spending over 1,000 fewer hours per year with others in person, has created a generation that struggles with the confidence needed for dating and relationships. - While AI tools on dating apps can provide helpful prompts and profile suggestions, they represent a symptom of deeper social challenges rather than a complete solution to building genuine romantic connections. - The dating app market is evolving, with users experiencing growing fatigue and apps like Hinge gaining ground by positioning themselves as relationship-focused platforms rather than endless swiping experiences. ## Sources - [because they lack the confidence more common among older generations](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c052397y6ygo), Bbc.Co Published by High Intent (High Intent Media Inc). Citation permitted with a link to the source URL above.