Ditto and other Gen Z dating apps use AI to set up weekly dates

In short: Some dating apps aimed at Gen Z are replacing endless swiping with an AI matchmaker that sets up real dates on a schedule.

What's going on

Many people in their 20s say they feel burned out by swipe-based dating apps, where you spend a lot of time liking profiles and making small talk. TechCrunch reports that newer services are trying a different approach, using AI (software that makes predictions from patterns, like a very fast recommendation system) to suggest matches and push people toward meeting in person.

One example is Ditto, started by two former UC Berkeley students, Allen Wang and Eric Liu. Instead of downloading a typical app, students sign up by texting an iMessage number with a code. A chatbot then asks questions about basics like name and birthday, plus personality, interests, and dating preferences. Some users even share photos of celebrity crushes to help show the AI what they like.

Ditto says it matches people based on what their interests suggest about them, not just whether their hobbies look the same. The founders gave an example where two people might seem different on paper, but both come across as adventurous.

Every Wednesday at 7 pm, Ditto sends users one match, plus a time and a location for a date. Afterward, it asks for feedback to improve future matches. Ditto says it has 150,000 signups, and about 20% of its matched pairs end up going on a date.

What to watch

Safety and trust will be a key issue as these services grow. Ditto currently limits access to students at a few dozen colleges, using .edu emails as a basic check, but it says it wants to expand beyond campuses. How these apps verify identities and handle bad behavior will matter as much as how well the matching works.

Source: TechCrunch AI