Tinder users are switching to a bizarre new dating trend sweeping the US
Ben Williams
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Janina Steinmetz
College students across the US are turning away from the familiar swipe-based dating model in favour of a new system that hands much of the matchmaking process over to artificial intelligence.
The trend has emerged amid growing frustration with dating apps, where users can spend hours scrolling through profiles, exchanging messages and arranging meetings that never happen.
Instead, the new approach asks students to provide personal information and interests before technology selects a potential partner on their behalf.
Matches are then scheduled in batches, with users given fewer decisions to make before meeting in person.
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This kind of change is part of a wider effort to reduce choice overload and move online connections towards actual meetings more quickly, although it can still be easy to have questions about how much control people should give algorithms when choosing a potential partner.
The service behind the trend is Ditto AI, a startup founded in 2024 by former UC Berkeley students.
Rather than allowing users to browse profiles, Ditto asks them to complete a survey which its AI uses to determine compatibility. New pairings are generated every Wednesday, after which matched students can agree on a suitable time to meet.
The platform also creates an itinerary for the first date, removing another part of the planning process from its users.
Whilst Ditto indeed launched in Berkeley, it has since expanded to campuses across the US, including nine universities in California.
According to figures shared by the company, it has arranged more than 12,000 dates, while 92 per cent of paired participants said they wanted to go on a second date.
The startup has positioned itself as an alternative to what it considers an outdated model of online dating.
Even on its website, the startup specifically dives into its stance has an alternative to the reported outdatedness of dating apps. In its “Manifesto” section, as first reported by the New York post, “For the past 20 years, we’ve connected in primitive ways…”
“But now, everything changes. AI brings your ‘profiles
Medium has looked at Ditto’s system and drew a comparison to the Black Mirror episode, “Hang the DJ”, which follows an algorithm running simulations to determine whether two people are compatible.
It’s reported that Ditto runs 1,000 hypothetical dates before presenting users with one match, whilst also offering suggested conversation starters — removing reducing that said need for endless swiping, along with the repetitive small talk and the uncertainty of deciding who to message.
Also according to Medium, one user said: “You’re taking the brainwork out of a brain-dead process.”
However, concerns have also been raised over whether removing awkwardness, rejection and uncertainty could make dating feel overly controlled.
Writing about the service, dating strategist Luna Rae warned that users should not allow the technology to replace the human side of forming relationships.
She wrote: “Your heart doesn’t run on Wi-Fi. Let the bot assist, not replace.”
Although those early figures do suggest that there is demand for at least some automation in the dating process, the long-term success rate of its AI-selected matches remains unclear for now.
UNILAD has reached out to Ditto for comment.