On today’s segment of “wtf is going on with society?”, we are exploring the idea of…well, dating the human version of our pets.
Yes, you read that right. According to a recent survey by MetLife Pet Insurance, 31% of pet owners who used AI to generate a human version of their pet said they would date the result.
I want to make it very clear that I am not included in that 31%.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you might be wondering where this idea even came from. To which, I’d respond with the most obvious culprit: TikTok.
What Is the AI Pet to Human Trend on TikTok?
TikTok has been having a field day with this one. Apparently, you can ask ChatGPT to create a human version of your pet. Many TikTok users have shared their own examples, some of which are super creepy.
Here are a few examples…
And another…
Now, I guess some of the results create “attractive” human versions of pets—so much so that some of the pet owners actually admitted to wanting to date said AI-generated humans. Uhhhhh.
Our Emotional Connection to Our Pets
Humanizing our pets is one thing, but viewing them through a romantic lens is quite another. Which begs the question…are we more reliant on our pets for emotional fulfillment than we are on our partners? And…is that a bad thing?
“Emotional connections between pets and humans can run deep,” MetLife Pet Insurance reported in their survey. “Over one-third (38%) said they rely on their pet more than any human relationship. This trend was stronger among Gen Z (43%) than Gen X/baby boomers (38%) and millennials (35%).”
Additionally, 57% of pet owners say “I love you” to their pet multiple times a day.
I mean…duh. Who doesn’t?!
However, taking it one step further, 77% feel their pet offers better emotional support than their previous human partner.
Yikes. That says a lot about the people we date today.
Would You Date the Human Version of Your Pet?
With one in seven saying they’ve previously tried visualizing their pet as a human, this adds a layer of strangeness to the above stats. To humanize your pet and then consider them as a dating partner…I can’t really get behind that trend.
“Of those who did, 31% admitted they would be interested in dating the human version of their pet,” MetLife Pet Insurance revealed. “Millennials (34%) and Gen X/baby boomers (33%) were the most likely to say they’d do so, while Gen Z was the least likely (24%). Dog owners (33%) and cat owners (31%) were nearly neck and neck on this idea, but generational differences revealed more interesting trends.”
On the other hand, however, about 2 in 5 pet owners said their pet would be a “walking red flag” if they were human.
I mean, that’s certainly true for my cat, who is also my biggest bully.
Anyway, this is obviously a harmless trend. However, it reveals the lack of emotional fulfillment in today’s dating world. Maybe being a “crazy cat lady” isn’t the worst fate.
The post Is a Human Version of Your Pet the Ultimate Date? These People Think So. appeared first on VICE.
