Tinder’s new ‘Game Game’ is like speed dating a vocal AI

• Tinder’s new Game Game feature lets users practice flirting with AI personas
• The voice-based encounters provide real-time feedback on your charm
• Users are rated on a three-flame scale to gamify the experience

I’m very happily married, but the memories of excruciating anxiety in attempts to flirt are carved into my brain forever. Just getting up the nerve to start a conversation felt like a victory. Perhaps it would have felt less intense after practicing with someone who has absolutely no chance of rejecting me, like, say, an AI character. That’s what Tinder thinks. The dating app has released an AI-powered experiment called ‘The Game Game,’ which produces artificial conversational partners and fictional situations for you to practice those pick-up lines.

Despite the April 1st release, The Game Game is a no-fooling real voice-based feature built into Tinder’s iOS app. Using OpenAI’s GPT-4o AI model, the feature lets you practice flirting with AI characters. Play out a scenario like you’re at an airport, and your AI-generated love interest has accidentally picked up your identical suitcase. Sparks fly. You charm them. Or at least, you try.