Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Say Allo, a smart dating app that debuted in the United States in 2018, is making its way into the Canadian market. The “relationship discovery” platform harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and a continuous learning algorithm to help singles foster meaningful connections for long-term relationships. The app is now available in Montreal.

Say Allo relies on proprietary SmartSwipe™ technology. By combining AI and face-mapping technologies, SmartSwipe™ learns about your behaviors, interests, preferences. The more time you spend on the app, the more useful knowledge it gleans. SmartSwipe™ is so advanced it can even detect the facial features you prefer in a partner.

Russia’s largest social media platform VKontakte is going head-to-head with Tinder and Badoo by launching its own dating app.

According to The Moscow Times, VKontakte’s Lovina is a video-centric dating app, offering a video chat option to people who like each other over the app and a “carousel” of short videos for a quick communication between random users who are browsing through the app. Executives behind Lovina say that providing video as the main way for users to connect is a better method than what traditional dating apps like Tinder offer, because video is much more revealing than photos or a written profile. Plus, there’s less chance of someone faking a video compared to photos.

Hily Dating App

Hily is a relatively new dating app that is just 2 years old. Hily stands for "Hey, I Like You" and has gathered over 5 million members since launch and is now a top 10 revenue generating dating app in the app stores (iOS and Android). When Hily launched they touted their artificial intelligence (AI) which is designed to help stop scammers and fake profiles being created. Hily also has AI which is used for matching members together. The more you use their app the better the matching will be as Hily will learn what type of profiles you like based on who you view and like. Working on our review we found Hily is geared more to younger adults and has a similar swipe mechanics of liking or passing on matches as other competing dating apps.

Hily is one of the few dating apps doing well that is not owned by a larger online dating company that has multiple brands. Alex Pasykov, and Yan Pronin are the founders and Hily's headquarters is in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For complete details on this dating service including a list of features, pros, and cons of the service, you can read our new Hily review.

Image: Bumble

Starting in June, artificial intelligence will shield Bumble users from unsolicited lewd photographs sent through the app’s messaging tool. The AI feature - which has been dubbed Private Detector, as in “private parts” - will automatically blur explicit photos shared within a chat and warn the user that they’ve received an obscene image. The user can then decide if they want to view the image or block it, and if they’d like to report it to Bumble’s moderators.

“With our revolutionary AI, we are able to detect potentially inappropriate content and warn you about the image before you open it,” says a screenshot of the new feature. “We are committed to keeping you protected from unsolicited photos or offensive behavior so you can have a safe experience meeting new people on Bumble.”

With 2018 in the rearview mirror, dating experts are sharing their predictions for the year that lies ahead. What trends can singles look forward to? How will the online dating industry progress in 2019? Here’s what experts think the new year has in store.

Singles Will Embrace ‘Old-Fashioned’ Dating

Dating is headed back to basics says emotional wellness expert Dr. Natasha Sharma. “People are ready to start ditching the shallow, so-many-choices approach to dating, and move back to more ‘older-fashioned’ ways and alternative ways of meeting people,” she told Global News.

Data from Zoosk backs up Sharma’s prediction. A survey found that online daters were considered more old-fashioned in 2018, and that users who described themselves as old-fashioned in their profiles received 16 percent more messages than those who didn’t. The survey also found a majority of singles still consider holding a door open for someone and paying for the first date to be romantic gestures.

Chinese Tinder clone Tantan is embracing the future with open arms.

Like several of its colleagues in the United States -- including Match, Happn, and Hinge -- Tantan is experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool for modern matchmaking. Chief Executive Yu Wang announced earlier this month at RISE Hong Kong that AI is a primary focus for the company in the second half of 2018, and that he hopes it will be a key driver of growth going forward.

The technology will be used to improve the accuracy of user acquisition and advertising, as well as to boost growth in user numbers and revenues more generally.