HOUSTON — Finding love isn’t always easy, which leads many people to use dating apps to make a connection, like Divinity and Jose Vazquez.
“We’ve been together for just a little over three years,” Divinity Vazquez said.
Divinity and Jose grew up on different sides of town.
“We didn't know each other, but we did go to the same gym,” Jose Vazquez said.
But in the end, it was a swipe on their phones that led them to each other.
“We met on Hinge, the dating app,” Divinity said.
The two say being authentic was key in creating their dating profiles.
“I would try to put like, just like the things that were important to me so that I would attract someone who would be interested in those things,” Divinity said.
Authenticity made it easy to spark conversation with one another, but for some it’s not that simple.
“Online dating is challenging. We're seeing that you know, people are struggling,” said Roman Khaves the co-founder of Rizz. “Whenever people are stuck in the middle of a conversation or don't know how to open up, they don't have the confidence to have these dating conversations."
Dating app fatigue, along with the struggle to continue a conversation led Khaves to find the solution in the Rizz app.
“AI wing woman, wingman,' Khaves said. "That's with you 24/7. To help you out whenever you're stuck."
The app was launched in December 2022.
Khaves says the AI tool is similar to ChatGPT, but focuses on dating.
“If you are interested in the profile, but you're not sure exactly how to open up and start the conversation, here's what you do," Khaves said. "You take a screenshot of that profile or that prompt you to upload it onto Rizz. Rizz will scan it, and we'll use our magical AI that we have in the background, and it will give you a strategy on how to open up and follow up with suggestions."
Khaves says the goal isn’t to tell someone what to say but to get people on a first date fast.
“A lot of people are stuck and they're in this endless cycle, and these dating apps are swiping endlessly, and they never actually make it to the date,” Khaves said.
Divinity and Jose say if a tool like this was available for them, they wouldn’t have used it.
“I understand how you would do it if you're trying to, you know, have the right first impression, because that's an important thing when meeting someone for the first time,” Jose said.
Experts like Ernesto Verdugo say AI is the future even when it comes to dating.
“Previously it was based on algorithms," Verdago said. "Right now, it's based on predictions, which is a lot more powerful."
As for Rizz, Khaves says this is only the beginning.
“The goal for us is to be really the leading AI dating app for, you know, the modern century,” Khaves said. “We're going to do even more cool, interesting things to help people with dating. The whole point is we want everybody to find love.”
As more people download apps in search of love, Divinity and Jose hope their stories can inspire others.
“My heart never felt honestly so full, like, with him in my life,” Divinity said.
“Sometimes it's just about being faithful and, you know, taking a risk,” Jose said.
You might be skeptical about an AI tool helping people with dating apps, but Rizz has about 20,000 daily downloads, ranked among the top five dating apps in the us app store, with 1.5 million active monthly users. AI experts say only time will tell if other apps find ways to incorporate AI too.