San Francisco User Tests AI Matchmaker on Known App but Declines $15 Fee

Marie Lansley, a 36-year-old divorced San Francisco resident, used the AI voice feature on the dating app Known for roughly 15 minutes. The AI responded to her answers about upbringing, personality, education, past relationships and her search for a serious relationship by saying she was not there to waste time.

Weeks later she received a written compatibility summary for a match but declined to pay the $15 fee to meet the person.

Lansley said she wants AI to improve efficiency in dating yet believes some elements remain deeply human. Known hosted a dating event at a San Francisco cocktail lounge on a recent Thursday night for users who completed the matchmaking call. Attendees were promised champagne, caviar bumps and an envelope revealing their AI pairing.

Known was founded in 2025 and launched its app in February 2026. Chief executive Celeste Amadon, who dropped out of Stanford University, said the company charges per date to ensure attendance and has raised roughly $10 million from investors including Coelius Capital, Forerunner Ventures and NFX. The startup plans to expand to San Diego in July.

Tinder’s monthly active users fell 7 percent year-over-year in March, according to parent company Match Group, while Bumble reported paying users dropped 21 percent to 3.2 million in the first quarter of 2026. Bumble intends to remove swiping in select markets during the final three months of the year.

Grindr is testing a subscription tier called Edge in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada that includes AI tools, with some users willing to pay $350 per month.

Facebook Dating, which has more than 21.5 million daily users worldwide, offers its AI assistant for free. Roughly 1 million people in the United States and Canada use the assistant daily to receive recommendations based on relationship goals, hobbies, height or age.