Gen Z dates more but distrusts AI on dating apps: survey
By Rhea MalhotraDigital Life Writer, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: Surprising_Media / Pixabay
A Bloomberg Intelligence survey released on October 28, 2026, finds 34% of Gen Z dating-app users are single and dating, up from 23%, but many are uneasy about AI features.
What Happened
More young people are actively dating, but many of them do not want artificial intelligence (AI) to do the talking for them, according to a survey by Bloomberg Intelligence, the research arm of Bloomberg, released on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The survey of 1,000 dating-app users in the United States found that 34% of Gen Z users, aged 16 to 28, said they were single and currently dating, up from 23% a year earlier. Only a little over half of Gen Z users said they were comfortable using AI to help write replies and hold conversations, compared with 70% of millennials.
Key Facts
- Survey: Bloomberg Intelligence survey of 1,000 dating-app users in the United States.
- Fieldwork: carried out between August 26 and September 21, 2026; released on October 28.
- Dating more: 34% of Gen Z users (aged 16 to 28) were single and dating, up from 23% a year earlier.
- AI comfort: a little over half of Gen Z users were comfortable with AI helping draft responses, against 70% of millennials.
- Paying: Gen Z users become more willing to pay for dating-app subscriptions as they get older, but they remain more price-sensitive than millennials, the survey found.
- Industry: Match Group, which owns Tinder, has seen more Gen Z users take up new social and dating features on Tinder, but its turnaround has not yet produced steady financial gains, according to the report.
Why It Matters
Dating apps have spent the past few years trying to win back young users who complained of swipe fatigue, the tired feeling of endlessly scrolling through profiles with few real connections. One of the industry's main answers has been AI: tools that suggest which photos to use, help write a profile, recommend matches or even draft opening messages. This survey suggests that the youngest users are not fully sold on that idea. For many of them, the point of dating is to meet a real person, and an app that writes your messages can feel like it is taking away the very thing they came for.
At the same time, the jump in the share of Gen Z users who are actively dating, from 23% to 34%, is good news for the apps. It suggests young people have not given up on online dating; they simply want it to feel more genuine. The finding that Gen Z users grow more willing to pay as they get older also matters for the business, since subscription fees are how most dating apps earn money.
For young readers, the survey is a reminder of a few practical points. AI tools can help with a profile, but conversations that sound like a machine may put a match off. Paying for premium features is a choice, not a requirement, and the survey shows many young users are careful with that money. And safety habits matter whichever app you use: meet in public places at first, tell a friend where you are going, and do not share money or personal documents with someone you have only met online.
| Measure | Gen Z | Millennials |
|---|---|---|
| Single and dating (2026) | 34% | not reported here |
| Single and dating (2025) | 23% | not reported here |
| Comfortable with AI drafting replies | a little over half | 70% |
The survey covers users in the United States, so its numbers may not match patterns among young people in India. But the questions it raises, about how much technology should shape the way young people meet, are increasingly asked by young Indians too.
Impact
Short-term: Dating apps may rethink how prominently they push AI features to younger users, and focus more on features that help real conversation and safety.
Long-term: If Gen Z keeps preferring human-led dating, the companies that win may be those that use AI quietly in the background, for safety and matching, rather than for writing messages.
Who is affected: Young adults who use dating apps; the companies that run them, including Match Group and its rivals; and investors watching whether AI spending pays off in consumer apps.
Key Takeaway
A Bloomberg Intelligence survey released on October 28, 2026, found that 34% of Gen Z dating-app users are single and dating, up from 23%, but only about half are comfortable letting AI help write their messages.
Questions and Answers
What did the Bloomberg Intelligence Gen Z dating survey find?
The survey of 1,000 US dating-app users, released on October 28, 2026, found 34% of Gen Z users were single and dating, up from 23% a year earlier, and only a little over half were comfortable with AI helping write their replies.
Do young people like AI features on dating apps?
Not as much as older users. A little over half of Gen Z users said they were comfortable with AI drafting responses, compared with 70% of millennials, according to the survey.
Who counts as Gen Z in this survey?
The survey grouped dating-app users aged 16 to 28 as Gen Z.
Are young people willing to pay for dating apps?
The survey found Gen Z users become more willing to pay for subscriptions as they get older, but they remain more price-sensitive than millennials.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Rhea Malhotra, Digital Life WriterCovers Digital Life and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Rhea Malhotra
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Rhea Malhotra is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
