Tinder on Thursday announced new AI and non-AI powered features in an effort to connect with Gen Z singletons. Why it matters: Users increasingly struggle to tell the difference between real connections and the bots.Dating apps are now using AI to fix a problem technology helped create.The big picture: Tinder's new updates include a speed dating experience and an AI feature to assess potential chemistry. What they're saying: "With more than half our users under 30, we're building alongside a generation that wants dating to feel more authentic, lower-pressure and worth their time," Spencer Rascoff, Match Group and Tinder CEO, said in a statement."We're using AI to surface more relevant connections." Driving the news: Photo-verified users can join scheduled, virtual speed dating events starting this spring. The events will involve three-minute video chats "with the option to add more time and connect with multiple matches in real time," the company said. Between the lines: If speed dating is a blast from the past, AI chemistry tests are a glimpse into the future — namely, the one from "Her.""Instead of endlessly Liking profiles, users will get a daily curated recommendation based on what actually makes you, you," the company said of the feature, which has already been rolled out in Australia and New Zealand. "Using a Q&A and optional features like Camera Roll Scan, we get a better sense of your personality, your vibe, and what matters to you."The scan will also help users discover "photo insights" based on patterns in their camera rolls. Other new features include an "events" mode to discover in-person events, an "astrology mode" allowing users to add their birth details, and a learning mode that "continuously gathers feedback to surface more relevant recommendations earlier." The company is launching improved safety measures as well, including an "are you sure?" feature alerting users "to potentially harmful language before they hit send." Zoom out: As they struggle to maintain users, dating apps such as Bumble and Grindr are also investing in AI. Zoom in: Users are also deploying AI, mirroring the increasingly popular bot vs. bot world of the web.Chatbots can suggest witty messaging banter, alter photos and write bios and pick-up lines. By the numbers: A survey last year from Match and researchers at the Kinsey Institute found that 26% of U.S. singles reported using AI to enhance dating — up 333% from the year before.6 in 10 people who use dating apps believe they've encountered at least one conversation written by AI, per a study from Norton.The bottom line: It's getting more and more likely that AI is third-wheeling your online romance.