MAN’S BEST FRIEND

Study Shows Many People Would Date AI Human Versions of Their Pets

A shocking number of people wouldn’t mind getting romantic with their pets in human form.

Some owners love their pets so much, they wouldn’t mind dating a virtual version of them. A MetLife Pet Insurance survey published Saturday found that among the 1,000 U.S. pet owners it surveyed, one in three would date an AI-generated, human version of their pet. The survey comes amid a TikTok trend in which users are employing AI to turn their pets into people. Out of those who had heard of the trend, 31 percent overall said they would date the human version of their pet. A slightly higher percentage of Millennials (34 percent) would date a human version of their pet than Gen Zers and Baby Boomers (both 33 percent), with Gen Z coming in last at 24 percent. The survey found no significant difference between dog owners and cat owners when it came to dating their pets. What’s more, two in five pet owners said their pets would be a “walking red flag” as a human. The survey also showed that more than four in five pet owners wouldn’t date someone who didn’t like their pet.