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How much is that AI puppy in the browser window?
Generative AI has been a fixture in recent social media trends, from the viral Studio Ghibli makeovers to turning people into their pets. Now, clout-seeking “hot girl” influencers are going viral after using Google AI to add cute animals to their photos like something out of a live-action Disney movie.
This fairy tale-esque phenomenon came to light via a post by X user @jameygammon, who posted a pic of several content creators posting with AI-generated creatures from rabbits to puppies and even a giant horse.
“Hot girls have started using AI trend I’m seeing; photo-surrealism with cute animals,” she declared in the caption to the clip, which has 15 million views online.
In fact, the internet has been flooded with would-be Cinderellas posing with their machine-made menageries. One trend-hopper named Anna Wein, a Germany-based beauty and fashion influencer with 800,000 followers, posted a photo of herself surrounded by “101” digitally-engineered Dalmatians.
“Just me, living my dream,” she gushed in the caption.
In another, Spanish influencer Julia is seen posing in a doorway with a herd of baby deer à la Snow White.
Some have even posted tutorials of this virtual animal whisperer trend, which can be accomplished through a variety of online AI tools with the Google Gemini creator or the free-to-use aistudio.google.com ranking among the most popular.
To use the latter, virtual animal-lovers need simply upload a picture of themselves — full body is preferable so they can be surrounded by their faux fur friends — and then give the AI a clear prompt of what you want, specifying color and species.
Example: “Add three realistic pictures of three golden labradoodles lying at my feet, with two sitting and one standing and wagging its tail.”
People had mixed feelings about these fauna-based deepfakes, with one X critic writing, “Why the f–k would you AI a horse into your hallway?”
“I can’t decide if this is cool or scary tbh,” said another, while a third scoffed, “just go volunteer at an animal shelter.”
However, others flocked to the influencers’ defense. “Can’t really hate on pretty girls and puppies,” said one.
“They probably don’t wanna scoop up a bunch of s–t and honestly I don’t blame them,” declared another. “I’m not going to act morally superior in this way. I don’t wanna do that either.”
While the trend seems awwww-inspiring — especially as the critters are clearly digitally-imposed — the proliferation of hyperrealistic animal-based deepfakes has become a problem on social media.
Conservatives have railed against the ever-present AI-generated wildlife clips, notable examples of which include bizarre interspecies playdates between foxes and cats and rabbit trampoline sessions.
In a recent study published in the journal Conservation Biology, researchers claimed that these anthropomorphic clips portray “characteristics, behaviors, habitats, or relationships between species that are not real.”
This can inspire people to approach — or even illicitly purchase — said animals with the hopes of recreating an anthropomorphic scene, thereby posing a danger to both human and beast.
