When you’re swiping through profiles on Bumble For Friends, it can feel so exciting when you see someone who loves crafting as much as you do, or has also just moved to your new city. You swipe right, and you’ve made a new friend! But now there’s the opening line to think about. Don’t worry, we understand that coming up with the perfect convo starter can be hard sometimes! That’s why we’re introducing icebreakers, which use artificial intelligence (AI) to help you come up with a tailored, meaningful message.
How do the AI-powered icebreakers work?
When you connect with a new person on Bumble For Friends, head to your chat screen. Here, if no one has sent the first message yet, you’ll see an icebreakers button above the text box. Tap on this to get started and let the feature work its magic! A friendly chat sidekick will pop up and use AI technology to generate up to three different conversation starters. The AI technology only uses your public profile information, such as your life and Interest Badges, age, work, education, and city location. While each conversation starter will be specific to you and your potential pal, some examples of what they could look like are:
- Hi [name]! I see we’re both at a similar stage of life right now—career-focused. What do you do for work? I’m always curious to learn about different career paths and industries.
- Hello [name]! As a foodie, do you have any recommendations for the best places to eat in [city location]? I’m always on the lookout for delicious brunch spots!
- Hi [name]! Have you ever been to any jazz clubs in [city location]? I’m a big fan of jazz and I’d love to know if there are any cool spots to check out.
You’ll be shown one potential icebreaker question first; from there you can either tap “Use this question” or “Next question” to see another option. You can shuffle through the three prompts, and once you’ve decided which one you like the best, tap “Use this question” to add it to the text box on your chat screen. Don’t worry! You’ll have the chance to edit the question in any way you like before you hit send. If you’re not feeling any of the potential messages you’re being shown, you can exit the feature at any time by tapping on “Cancel” at the bottom of the screen.
When you send the question to your new friend, they’ll receive a regular notification to say you’ve sent them a message. They won’t be notified that you used the icebreakers feature to come up with an opening line. Just note: to keep conversations as authentic as possible, only one of you can use the icebreakers feature to kick off the conversation. Once the first message of the chat has been sent—either using an icebreaker or not—you won’t be able to use it to come up with any more questions.
Starting a new friendship shouldn’t be stressful. We hope that by using our AI-powered icebreakers to inspire a personalized opening message, any anxiety around crafting that first line will be alleviated. That means you can focus on what’s important: standing out, connecting with new friends, and finding your common ground with each other.