How AI can help with animal adoption

Do people react differently to digital animals compared to real animals?

And can that distinction make a difference in nonprofit campaigns?

These are the questions that Victoria Rapeau, a professor at the University of Cincinnati, studies in her journalism department, where she teaches digital media.

Before coming to UC as head of the journalism department this year, Ms. Rapeau taught journalism at Ohio University, where she volunteered with the Athens County Humane Society. She saw firsthand how difficult it was for nonprofits to meet their fundraising and adoption needs.

So she turned to the example set by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, a Louisiana State University alumnus. The message of his charitable foundation is “Let’s do good.”

“So we thought, ‘What can we do?'” she said.

“People think journalism is only defined as hard news, but there is also solutions journalism and public interest journalism,” she said. “We can do research and identify deficiencies in the community and then apply them.”

Researchers, including University of California assistant professor Benjamin Rapeau, surveyed more than 300 people across the country as part of a digital campaign exploring topics ranging from adoption and donations to emotional support animals and the use of social media.

In one example focused on emotional support animal messaging, researchers investigated whether viewers responded differently to an AI-generated illustration versus a traditional photo of children cuddling a cat.

Although it was clear to the participants that the cartoon images were artificial, what ultimately influenced their responses was what Rapeau describes as “perceived human emotion” – the authenticity of the emotions conveyed through the images and messages.

“The humor in ‘Save a Bird, Adopt a Cat’ caught respondents off guard, and they seemed to find it funny and clever. That natural sense of humor outweighed the AI-generated images, even of cute kids cuddling a cat,” Rapeau said.

“There was a photo of a real cat taken at the Humane Society, and an image of an AI bulldog. And to me, the AI ​​bulldog looks a little more cartoonish than the real thing. But I think it caught people’s attention because it looks more sophisticated than the real photo,” she said.

Researchers found that messages generated by AI scored lower on emotional authenticity and tone of empathy than messages created by humans. Traditional content created a stronger emotional connection, which directly impacted recruitment and donor interest.

Rapeau and his co-authors concluded that care must be taken when using AI-generated messaging to maintain emotional authenticity and genuine connection with the audience.

Her research covers a wide range of topics related to social media, indigenous communities, and current events. Before joining academia, he was a broadcast journalist.

Rapeau shared her findings with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“It was exciting to see this study presented at the ASPCA Research Forum,” said Bailey Egan, the nonprofit’s director of research. “Understanding how AI-generated images impact potential adopters and donors can give shelters valuable insight into how to create authentic and effective campaigns.”

Co-author Adonis Durado, an associate professor at Ohio University, said that while AI tools can be useful in some ways, they can also be problematic in others. During his career in advertising, he learned how to craft persuasive messages to target audiences.

“That experience taught me how powerful authentic and emotionally honest storytelling can be,” he said.

AI tools can help nonprofits analyze tone, predict audience reactions and identify emotionally resonant messages associated with successful appeals, he said.

“For nonprofits, AI can be extremely helpful. AI can study what kinds of stories and visuals connect with people, and what makes someone stop scrolling, click donate, or share a post,” he said.

However, he said there was a risk that viewers would associate AI with action or manipulation.

“If an organization relies too much on automation, messages can start to feel generic or manipulative,” he said. “The same research shows that authenticity and brand consistency are extremely important to audiences, and that’s where human creativity remains most important. Nonprofits rely on trust, and that can backfire if people feel that the AI ​​has written something they feel is too perfect.”