BEIJING: 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.
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. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
