Will AI Save Dating Apps?

Will AI Save Dating Apps?

From The Hook Up by triplej

May 27, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential of AI to transform dating apps, featuring insights from Dr Raffaele Ciriello.

People are emotionally, mentally and spiritually exhausted by dating apps, so much so that hundreds of thousands of swipers are deleting them. Now to try and “shake things up” Bumble is replacing the swipe function with AI matchmaking. We chat to Dr Raffaele Ciriello from the Uni of Sydney about some of the major issues of using AI to help you date, as well as the benefits. SHOW NOTES: Dr Raffaele Ciriello: https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/raffaele.ciriello Bumble AI changes: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/well/bumble-swipe-feature-online-dating-apps.html DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: thehookup@abc.net.au The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

People in this episode

Host: triple j

Guest: Dr Raffaele Ciriello

Topics covered

  • AI in dating
  • dating apps
  • Bumble
  • matchmaking
  • emotional exhaustion
  • technology and relationships

Keywords

  • AI matchmaking
  • Bumble changes
  • dating apps
  • emotional exhaustion
  • technology in dating

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bumble, Uni of Sydney

Places: Australia, Wurundjeri, Kulin nation

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