Grindr Announces Partnership with AI Provider

Sunday December 17, 2023
Originally published on December 14, 2023

According to a press release, Grindr Inc. (NYSE: GRND) today announced it has signed an exclusive partnership with Ex-Human, a leading provider of generative artificial intelligence and machine learning models, to fuel the app company's in-house artificial intelligence capabilities and enhance the experience of its users.

Grindr's diverse user community continues to grow and evolve, expanding the ways that gay, bi, trans, and queer people connect with one another and the world around them. Through this new partnership, Grindr will thoughtfully leverage Ex-Human's foundational models and tools to build new, engaging features designed to support the wide range of networking and dating needs of its users, from casual encounters to longer-term relationships.

In expanding its use of artificial intelligence, Grindr's commitment to safeguarding privacy through transparency and user choice remains unchanged. Grindr will continue to enable users to control their personal data and their in-app experience, and will notify users as AI-powered features become available in the app. Grindr users' personal data will remain on Grindr's infrastructure, which Ex-Human will not have access to. Grindr will own new IP created using Grindr data, and it has the right to acquire perpetual IP rights to Ex-Human's model for use in the core Grindr product.

Grindr expects to release prototypes of some AI functionality in 2024.

"By partnering with Ex-Human, Grindr has the opportunity to transform the dating experience for the global LGBTQ+ community," said AJ Balance, Chief Product Officer at Grindr. "We look forward to rolling out innovative artificial intelligence-based features that help our users around the world make more meaningful connections with one another."

"We are incredibly excited to introduce Ex-Human's models to the Grindr platform," said Ex-Human Founder and CEO Artem Rodichev. "Our technology has valuable applications to improve the user experience in dating, and we look forward to working with the Grindr team to help bring these features to life for the LGBTQ+ community."