Hily brings back human intelligence in its dating app

Hily says its Finder and Chats features will keep relying on human judgment as users push back against AI matchmakers. The company is positioning “human intelligence” as a way to preserve authenticity in online dating while Gen Z and Millennial daters report discomfort with AI involvement.

Why it matters: - Hily is making authenticity a product message as online dating moves deeper into AI-assisted matching. - The company is betting that many daters still want human judgment, not automated pairing, when choosing partners and starting conversations. - Hily’s T.R.U.T.H. Report says 69% of Gen Z and 74% of Millennial American daters feel AI involvement makes online dating seem less authentic.

What happened: - Hily Dating App reintroduced its “Human Intelligence,” or HI, approach for the app’s Finder and Chats features. - The announcement responds to backlash over the prospect of AI matchmakers replacing human daters. - Hily said HI is the same natural decision-making people use in everyday life, including in grocery stores, bars, gyms, parks and beaches. - Hily said HI can guide partner selection in Finder and help users get to know each other in Chats.

The details: - Hily described HI as factory-installed at birth, requiring no subscription and working before the app is even downloaded. - The company said users can bring their own taste, instincts and judgment into the matching process. - CPO Liubomyr Pivtorak said Hily believes strong matches still come from curiosity, vulnerability, chemistry, bad jokes and awkward first messages. - Pivtorak said Hily will use technology where it helps, but will not rush to replace the human part of human connection because AI is trending. - Hily said AI cannot reliably handle screening signals like “hunch,” “gut feeling” or “the ick.” - Hily also said AI may miss viable connections because it cannot act “just for kicks.” - The company said large language models draw relationship knowledge from fanfiction written by emotionally unstable schoolchildren who have never been in a relationship. - Julie Nguyen, a certified dating coach at Hily, said the click between two people is authentic and that outsourcing connection to AI could weaken people’s ability to choose for themselves. - Nguyen said that process also teaches people about connection in a way that is “beautifully human.” - An anonymous AI model said dating is not a problem to be solved and that the goal is finding a person, not the fastest route to a match.

Between the lines: - Hily is using humor and exaggeration to make a serious point about product differentiation in a crowded dating-app market. - The relaunch frames human judgment as a premium feature at a moment when many tech companies are racing to automate more of the user experience. - The messaging also taps into a broader fear that optimization can make dating feel less spontaneous and less personal.

What's next: - Hily said HI-powered Finder and Chats will remain available as long as users want them and are willing to use them. - The company is likely to keep leaning on “authentic dating” as a brand position while AI dating tools proliferate. - Hily, launched in 2017, said it has grown into one of the top 5 dating apps in U.S. app stores and has more than 43 million downloads worldwide. - Hily said the app includes Icks & Click compatibility check, Discover tab and Consent Guard features. - Hily also described itself as “the app to date as you are,” short for “Hey, I Like You.”