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.

在当下，内容创作者们纷纷借助人工智能的力量，创造出独具特色的宠物图片，如那些充满个性的猫咪模特，它们独特的魅力让广告商和各大公司争相合作，欲借此热门风潮来吸引公众的目光。

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.

自从去年4月，陈建在小红书上发布了一系列猫咪模仿人类行为的图片后，他的粉丝数就迅速攀升。其中，他发布的一张猫咪练习“八段锦”的AI生成图片，更是收获了超过16万的点赞。八段锦，这一融合肢体运动、呼吸与冥想的中国传统健身运动，被陈建巧妙地与猫咪相结合，创意十足。

"I was shocked by the figure; after all, I was a newcomer with only a few hundred fans on my account," he said.

陈建表示：“当我看到这个点赞数时，真的有些惊讶，毕竟我还是个新手，账号的粉丝基础也只有几百人。”

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.

在小红书上，与“人工智能”和“宠物”相关的帖子超过14万条，陈建的作品正是其中之一。这些帖子以拟人化的方式描绘了宠物进行各种人类活动，如穿衣、跳舞、参加学术考试、时装表演或摆拍等，充满了趣味性和创意。

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.

许多博主将自己定位为艺术内容创作者，他们或创作出具有不同时代风格的AI宠物，或让宠物成为各种场景中的主角。陈建，这位30多岁的上海互联网视觉设计师，也是其中的佼佼者。

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.

自2022年3月人工智能工具Midjourney推出以来，陈建便对其产生了浓厚的兴趣。这款工具只需输入文字描述，便能在短短一分钟内生成相应的图片，极大地提高了创作效率。

"I picked up related skills in my spare time out of a sense of anxiety about being replaced by AI one day," Chen said.

“出于对人工智能可能取代我们职业的担忧，我决定利用业余时间学习这项技能。”陈建坦言。

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.

最初，他只是想将AI工具应用于自己的专业工作，提升设计效率与视觉效果。然而，随着“运动猫”系列的走红，他意识到AI创作有着更广阔的可能性。

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.

“我的‘运动猫’灵感来源于我个人的健康问题。”陈建解释说，“我曾因口腔溃疡反复发作而去医院就诊，医生建议我练习八段锦以增强免疫力。”

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.

在练习过程中，他还鼓励同事一起参与，并萌生了用AI创作猫咪练习八段锦的图片来推广健身的想法。

"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.

“当时，人工智能刚刚兴起，很多人对这一概念还不太了解。而且，几乎没有类似的拟人化动物形象出现，这或许就是我的作品能引发人们强烈兴趣和好奇心的原因。”陈建分析道。

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.

在深入研究小红书平台后，陈建发现该平台的女性用户占比超过70%，且宠物内容在平台上颇受欢迎。他意识到，拟人化的宠物形象能够吸引更多年轻人的关注，因为猫咪作为宠物，具有缓解焦虑和无聊的功效。

He also tested out other AI-generated cat models, but learned that the anthropomorphic cat was by far the most popular one.

经过测试，陈建发现拟人化的猫咪形象最受欢迎。

"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.

“这一发现让我确定了账号的主题，并决定专注于创作更多关于人工智能猫咪拟人化生活的作品。”他补充道，他希望能抓住这个关注度高的“难得机会”。

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.

为了获取灵感，陈建从电视剧、电影和流行的社会现象中汲取养分。他发布了多个人工智能猫咪模型，其中一些以经典电影场景为背景，吸引了大量新粉丝，每月新增粉丝超过1000人。

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.

展望未来，陈建计划超越文字和图像的限制，利用AI技术探索视频创作的可能性。他认为，尽管人工智能让每个人都有机会尝试自己的创意，但真正的挑战在于如何创作出能打动受众的创意内容。