Bumble is expanding into generative AI with a new assistant named "Bee." During Wednesday's fourth-quarter earnings announcement, the company introduced Bee as a personal matchmaker that learns about users through private conversations, focusing on their values, relationship goals, communication style, lifestyle, and dating intentions. These insights are then used to recommend more relevant matches. Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd informed investors that Bee is currently in an internal pilot phase, with a beta launch coming soon. Bumble believes this tool will allow it to gather richer, more detailed information about users, potentially setting its app apart from competitors like Tinder, which recently revamped its own platform as interest among Gen Z daters has cooled. Users will interact with Bee similarly to other AI chatbots, through typed or spoken conversations in a natural, dialogue-driven format.

Initially, Bee will support a new feature called "Dates," which uses AI to suggest compatible matches. Looking ahead, Bumble plans for Bee to expand into functions like proposing date ideas or collecting anonymous feedback from past matches. Within "Dates," Bee starts with a private onboarding chat to understand the user, then identifies two people with aligned intentions, values, and goals. Both users receive an in-app notification explaining why they are a strong match. This update is part of a wider technological and AI-driven refresh for the dating app, which has historically emphasized features catering to women's needs. Bumble pioneered elements such as requiring women to message first, banning body-shaming, and blurring unsolicited explicit images.

Now, Bumble aims to harness AI to revive user growth, especially as younger audiences, particularly Gen Z, show declining interest in swiping-based mechanics. Herd mentioned that Bumble will test removing the swipe feature in certain markets to gauge user response. Rather than relying on binary swipes, the app will emphasize alternatives like "chapter-based" profiles, where members can connect over different aspects of a person's life story. This approach is intended to generate more data for Bumble's AI and algorithms. "We will be introducing more dynamic ways for somebody to express interest in your story, rather than just your profile, and this is going to drive more dynamic engagement, spark better conversation, and ultimately drive better KPIs across the board—like engagement and chances to get better conversations going," Wolfe Herd stated. "You will also see us take a much more deliberate approach to getting people offline versus just in what people refer to as dead-end chat zones."

The company is also exploring ways to appeal to Gen Z users, who often favor group socializing over one-on-one dates when meeting new people. Bumble has been integrating AI into its app over several years, implementing features such as AI-powered photo selection and feedback tools, along with safety enhancements. Wolfe Herd noted that the app's back-end infrastructure has been redesigned to accommodate this AI integration. For the fourth quarter, Bumble reported revenue of $224.2 million, exceeding expectations, with average revenue per paying user rising 7.9% to $22.20. Following the announcement, the company's stock surged approximately 40%.