Chen Jian has created a series of AI-generated cat images, including felines practising baduanjin, traditional Chinese fitness exercises, or dressed in trendy clothes (2,3,4,5,7). The other images are AI-generated cat models made by Luo Yongshuo (1,6,8). CHINA DAILY
Content creators are using artificial intelligence to produce innovative pet images such as chic cat models, attracting advertisers and companies eager to pounce on their thriving popularity.
Since April last year, when Chen Jian posted images on social media platform Xiaohongshu of cats imitating human behavior, he has seen his number of followers grow rapidly.
One of Chen's posts of an AI-generated cat practicing baduanjin — traditional Chinese fitness exercises combining physical movement with breathing and meditation — has received more than 160,000 likes.
"I was shocked by the figure; after all, I was a newcomer with only a few hundred fans on my account," he said.
Chen's work is among more than 140,000 posts containing the keywords "AI" and "pets" that pop up on Xiaohongshu.
The popular posts mainly feature anthropomorphic depictions of pets doing human activities such as wearing clothes, dancing, taking academic tests, participating in fashion shows, or posing for photographs.
Many of these bloggers have positioned themselves as artistic content creators. Some have created AI pets in various styles from different eras, while others have cast them as the protagonists in a range of scenarios.
Hello, kitty
Chen, in his 30s, works as a visual designer at an internet company in Shanghai.
He studied the AI tool Midjourney after it was launched in March 2022. By entering the desired text, Midjourney can generate corresponding images using AI, taking only about a minute to complete the task.
"I picked up related skills in my spare time out of a sense of anxiety about being replaced by AI one day," Chen said.
His original aim was to apply AI tools to improve his professional skills and integrate them into his work.
"I figured this would help me complete tasks more efficiently and enhance the visual impact of my design," he said.
Chen's popular exercising cat was inspired by a real health issue in his own life.
"At that time, I had recurring mouth ulcers and made a special trip to the hospital. The traditional Chinese medicine doctor recommended I practice baduanjin daily to boost my immunity," Chen said.
As he tried the exercises, he also encouraged his colleagues to practice with him. He then came up with the idea of using AI to create images of a cat doing the same exercises to promote public awareness about fitness.
"AI tools were just gaining in popularity, and many people had little knowledge of the concept. Moreover, there were hardly any images of anthropomorphic animals crafted by AI, which probably explains why my work sparked people's strong interest and curiosity," Chen said.
As he dug deeper into the phenomenon, he noticed more than 70 percent of Xiaohongshu users were women, and pets accounted for the fourth biggest amount of the platform's content.
Chen said that interactions with his followers helped him understand that an increasing number of young people love cats as the felines help alleviate anxiety and boredom.
He also tested out other AI-generated cat models, but learned that the anthropomorphic cat was by far the most popular one.
"This revelation made me settle on the theme of my (Xiaohongshu) account and focus my attention on coming up with more works on the anthropomorphic life of AI cats," he said, adding he wanted to take advantage of the "rare opportunity" of high interest in his account.
Since then, Chen has drawn inspiration from TV dramas, films and trending social phenomena.
He has posted two AI cat models where some of their images are set against the backdrop of classic film scenes.
"They have brought me a steady flow of new followers, more than 1,000 a month," Chen said.
To date, he has garnered more than 50,000 fans, which in turn has attracted the attention of advertising agents.
Many cat food advertisers have sought out his services, but Chen said he turned down most of them as he didn't know much about their products.
However, he readily accepted associations with well-known milk tea brands, with car companies and internet app advertisers also knocking on his door. "These brands are renowned, so by assisting their promotions it also serves as brand endorsement of my account, making it win-win cooperation," Chen said.
The most challenging aspect of collaboration is how to integrate the AI cats with the brands, which requires both creativity and technical skills, he said.
As a designer with years of experience in advertising design, Chen said he does not find it difficult to understand his clients' demands. "In terms of the technology, besides using AI tools, proficiency in other design software is also necessary to create satisfactory works for commercial purposes," he said.
The popularization of AI has enabled everyone to try their ideas out. But the tough part is delivering creative ideas that can strike a chord with the audience, including the advertisers, he said.
Chen said in the future he plans to go beyond text and images to explore video creation through AI.
An AI-generated cat depicted in a hot bath. CHEN JIAN/FOR CHINA DAILY
Model behavior
Luo Yongshuo from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, came comparatively late to the AI-generated pet video business.
In January, Luo, in his 30s, started to use his technical skills and training to produce videos of cats modeling clothes and accessories.
The idea of using felines as fashion models was inspired by his own 3-year-old silver American shorthair cat.
"I had a few designer friends who wanted to promote their new works, so I put them on my cat using AI," Luo said.
With years of experience in computers and digitalization, Luo had kept track of AI development since the launch of ChatGPT. He has also learned multiple AI tools, including Stable Diffusion that generates anime artwork from text prompts.
Through practice and online learning, after about a month Luo managed to produce an AI-generated video of a stylish cat wearing chic clothes moving gracefully to dynamic background music.
The video immediately enchanted Xiaohongshu users and has more than 100,000 views on Luo's account.
He has since dressed his AI cat models in folk costumes and ancient military robes, which have attracted new online admirers. In almost three months, the number of Luo's Xiaohongshu followers has grown to more than 15,000.
The rising fame of the cat models has also created business opportunities for Luo. Pet clothing businesses, grooming services, pet product companies and even individual pet owners have sought out his services.
A few of his clients have given him specific requirements, but most allow wide scope for improvisation.
"I can get their pets featured in a video through AI, and help pet businesses promote their goods by inserting the cats in an interesting scene or plot," Luo said.
Many clients are also willing to pay Luo to teach them AI skills. Luo said he runs through the whole process with his students, including how to "dress" pets up in an AI image or video. "I don't sell courses, but I offer practical processes," he said.
For those who are considering learning AI skills such as his, Luo said it's important to persevere. "Many of my friends who started AI with me quit after a short time when they thought they'd hit a dead end. There is frustrating work at the beginning," he said.
Stable Diffusion, for example, has many plugins and models. Luo said he spent a lot of time working out how to install and use them.
"My initial works were not good quality. But I watched them over and again to find flaws and explore ways to fix them," he said, adding he frequented art exhibitions to cultivate his tastes.
Expanding reach
Experts said AI-generated pet images also stop the possibility of real animals suffering discomfort during commercial shoots, which prevents any consumer backlash over animal abuse.
Zhao Wei, a researcher from Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said AI technology won't be confined to products and businesses related to pets, and will have a wider range of applications in the future.
Liu Lin, from Yunge Network Co in Beijing that specializes in pet-related businesses, said in the past, shared videos of pets simply recorded everyday interactions between owners and their animals. However, AI-generated pet images are intended more for commercial purposes.
"Our clients have been paying great attention to the integration of AI applications in the pet industry," she said.
"Not just the producers of canned cat and dog food, but businesses outside this circle have shown preferences for using AI-generated pet images to advertise what they have to offer," Liu added.
Those images tend to be more vivid than real pets and can easily tug at the heartstrings of a target audience, especially the younger generation, she said.
The clients of Liu's company, including KFC, Pizza Hut and car and computer manufacturers, have already used AI pet images in their advertisements, she said.
Using AI pet images makes it easier and cheaper for companies like Liu's to meet clients' requests, which are becoming increasingly imaginative.
"For instance, it would have taken us a lot of time and manual effort to set up a stage for a car commercial featuring a real cat, Chinese lanterns and other festival gifts for Spring Festival," Liu said.
"With AI, all that trouble can be spared, and the sky's the limit for realizing clients' ideas," she added.
Liu's company has developed long-term cooperation with a dozen specialists in the field of AI-based pet image customization. Those specialists all have their own style, technical skills with AI software, and artistic vision.
"They should have tens of thousands of followers at least, which would be recognition of their expertise," Liu said.
Although the market is now flooded with AI content creators, it's still difficult to find those that can meet specific business requirements, she said.
"After all, it's still not easy to inject soul into those lovely pet images," Liu said.
