- Tinder’s limited-time only, OpenAI-powered feature called The “Game Game” lets users practice their flirting with eerily realistic chatbots in funny scenarios. The bot responds to a user’s voice and then gives them a ranking on a three-flame tier and constructive feedback.
Tinder’s solution to the increasingly stressful world of dating is a flirting chatbot powered by OpenAI that aims to help users get comfortable with IRL meetups—and its standards are amusingly high.
For an unspecified limited time, Tinder users in the U.S. can access The “Game Game” by clicking the Tinder logo in the app to practice their conversation (and pickup lines) with a flirtbot that responds in real time. During each conversation, the game gives users tips on how to improve, and after the conversation wraps up, it offers constructive feedback. After playing, users can share their score with friends.
The “Game Game” uses OpenAI’s Realtime API, GPT-4o, and GPT-4o mini to run it, according to a press release. The company says user data will not be used to train any AI models.
Hillary Paine, Tinder’s VP of product, growth & revenue, said The “Game Game,” a reference to a person’s flirting skills, doesn’t guarantee real-life dating success. Rather, the “proof of concept” shows technology can complement authenticity rather than replace it, she said.
“It’s not meant to be a blueprint for how to flirt IRL, and we don’t expect users to treat it that way. Human connection is messy and nuanced, and The Game Game is more about helping people feel comfortable expressing themselves than delivering a formula for success,” Paine said in a statement to Fortune.
When I tried chatting with the bot Wednesday, I was surprised by its responsiveness and that it quickly understood and responded to my poor attempts at flirting. The voice was unnervingly realistic and the way it reacted to my pickup lines, and the supposed “authenticity” of my statements, was eerie. But it was also fun, and after a brutal strikeout and stumbling over my words, I managed to get full marks—on my fifth try.
The game works by serving up strange scenarios with potential romantic partners based on the age and gender of who a user’s profile says they’re interested in. Users are limited to five sessions daily, said Paine. The situations can either be easy, medium, or hard, and the bot’s standards for a perfect score increase with each difficulty level. When the user presses “Let’s Go,” the AI starts talking to you and then pauses for your reply.
When I clicked the start button, I was caught off-guard by a realistic feminine voice and a friendly, if random, comment about crab cakes from a 34-year-old librarian named Emma who supposedly started chatting me up in a food truck line.
“I always say nothing beats a good crab cake from around here, hon. What’s your go-to food truck favorite?” the bot said.
After stumbling over my words and panickingly mentioning that I also liked crab cakes (I don’t), I desperately veered off topic to talk about travel, how I hadn’t visited Baltimore in years, and finally suggested we go visit a museum sometime. I managed to pull off a two flame ranking out of three.
The feedback it offered me was to “Be clearer when expressing your thoughts” and to “Explore mutual interests…” As a Gen Zer, I probably would’ve reacted the same way if someone had randomly struck up a conversation with me about crab cakes anyway.
During another attempt at charming the not-so-robotic SwoonBot, I struck out when I couldn’t recover from a scenario where I accidentally insulted a dish by a chef named Chloe who called me “dude.” Unfortunately, I forgot to apologize for insulting the dish.
“Hey, dude, I get it. Everyone’s cut their own taste. But hey, it’s all about enjoying new flavors, right?” the bot said.
Finally, after four tries, I got into a rhythm and tried for a blunt approach to try to reach the elusive three-flame ranking. In this scenario, I was stuck in a Bali elevator with a 27-year-old Australian electrician named Amelia.
When the bot asked me about other surprising situations I’ve been in, I responded cheekily as a test: “The only surprising situation is just how lucky I got to be stuck with someone as beautiful as you.”
The line worked, and by the end of the conversation, I was curiously flattered to hear Amelia setting up plans for a coffee date.
“Here’s to hoping we’ll be out of this lift soon,” the bot said. “Then we can enjoy the day ahead and make the most of our Bali adventure. Let’s look forward to that coffee and some great conversations.”
