Match.com in the UK has launched a dating bot named Lara in Facebook Messenger, says Marketing Week. Lara can help users set up dating profiles without having to leave the social media platform. According to Marketing Week, the bot uses artificial intelligence and language processing techniques to interact with Facebook users.

Match.com first tested the bot in France last year. UK is the next country to give it a go with the rest of Europe to follow. Lara is just one of 100,000 bots used on the Facebook Messenger platform.

Lara asks Facebook users for personal information such as birthdate, location and sexual preference and then scours Facebook profiles for up to 50 different criteria to identify potential matches. Lara also asks the user what characteristics they are looking for in a potential mate, and Lara tells the user when she has identified a potential date, reports Marketing Week. Global Dating Insights says users can then give a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate interest in the potential match.

“As European leader, we’re always looking to find new and convenient ways for people to meet; whether that’s through the mobile app, our events program or now, Lara,” said Abbie Oguntade, vice president for the UK Match.com.

“With Messenger being used by over one billion users worldwide and now a big part of people’s everyday lives, developing the first dating bot has been a priority for us to make finding a date easier for singles wherever they are,” she added.

Oguntade also told Marketing Week that Match.com needs to be innovative to stay ahead of its competitors. In addition to the bots, Match.com is focusing more on local events so people can meet organically too.

According to Match.com, the dating site matches millions of single men and women in 24 countries every year. The site uses a freemium model, offering limited, free services to registered users. The free version allows users to create a profile, post photos, search for potential dates, send and receive winks, and receive matches tailored to individual preferences. Subscribers, however, have more options, including the ability to send and receive messages, see who has viewed or favorited your profile, and attend Match.com-hosted events.

Match.com subscription pricing is not available unless you are a registered user. However, LauraRuderman.org shows that U.S. pricing starts at $20.99 a month for a 12-month membership. The site also says that Match.com subscription prices change regularly.

Insider Take:

With so many free and paid players like Match.com, eHarmony, Tinder, Zoosk and Plenty of Fish in the internet dating space, companies have to set themselves apart, especially when trying to get their share of subscription revenue. Match.com is doing so through events, which is not new but is somewhat novel, and now through its bots. The company is smart to test them in finite markets before branching out to broader audiences. We are curious to learn if allowing potential dates to find each other on Facebook will help Match.com increase or maintain its dominance in the market and how many of Lara’s matches will actually convert registered users into paid subscribers.