Published Jun 7, 2026
Image Credit: Best Friends Animal Society
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked concerns across many areas of society and the economy. But AI also can be used to help people—and, thanks to a new partnership with an animal shelter and two corporations, AI is helping people find their purrfect pet match.
You could think of the new “Protect Playtime” campaign as a dating app of sorts for pets and their potential human families, but without the scammers and fake profiles and drama. The campaign – a collaboration among Best Friends Animal Society, PetArmor, and Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab – offers an online feature where people seeking to adopt a pet can enter information about the traits of the animal they are seeking (like “playful cat” or “lap cat”). The AI program then searches the Best Friends database and evaluates potential matches based on factors like energy level, temperament, and compatibility with the user’s living situation. Then, the program makes purrsonalized recommendations for pets available at any of Best Friends’ six shelters around the country, and links people interested in adopting directly to the shelter website.
Each suggested pet’s profile includes an animated, personalized AI-generated video showing what the pet might look like in a loving home. This sample AI video depicts a brown tabby named Jess, both real and a cute cartoon version showing her in a home setting. Protect Playtime officials say that combining the reach of the internet with AI can help more animals find forever homes.
“The best part of working on this was aligning everything around one question: ‘How do we help more of our country’s adoptable pets in shelters find the healthy, happy homes they deserve?’” says Lauren Anderson, U.S. Head of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, in a press release. “That North Star drove every decision—the AI matching tool, the generative videos, the shelter spaces. It’s a true full-funnel campaign on a worthy mission.”
According to Best Friends data, 7 million American homes are expected to add a pet this year. If just 6 percent more choose to adopt from a shelter or rescue, the U.S. could reach no-kill status nationwide.
Image Credit: Best Friends Animal Society
“Best Friends is working toward a day where no dog or cat has to die in a shelter simply because they don’t have a safe place to call home,” says Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, in a press release. “This innovative campaign will make a meaningful impact on the lives of dogs and cats around the country by giving people new ways to connect with adoptable pets, and we’re honored to work alongside PetArmor and Amazon to bring it to life.”
I gave Protect Playtime a try with a hypothetical query. I went to the link, which invited me to start a chat that would connect me with possible cat matches from Best Friends’ six shelters. That chat takes you to a page where you click on an icon that represents what you’re looking for – “social cat” or “cute kittens and puppies.” Or, you can type and describe what kind of cat you are seeking.
The “social cat” query returned three matches: a longhaired gray tabby named Mellie, a domestic shorthair without a photo named Mr. Universe, and a dilute tortie named Ursula.
“They might be a little far away,” the chat says. “But trust us; they’re worth traveling for.”
Next, I tried typing in “lap cat.” This time, I get Baxter, a brown tabby; Cobalt, a gray cat; and Jelly Bean, a calico.
The new program apparently hasn’t started the video feature with at least some of the profiles, and the matches didn’t always seem to fit the description of social cat or lap cat, based on the biographies. Maybe the program still needs to work out some kinks.
Image Credit: Best Friends Animal Society
Still, this program has great potential, and it gives us a strong example of responsible use of AI to serve rather than replace people – and, in this case, pets. As Best Friends reminds us, we must save lives and end overpopulation and euthanasia due to overcrowding at shelters.
Protect Playtime, besides the key adoption-facilitating AI, includes other aspects such as improving shelter infrastructure by building dog parks and catios. The campaign also includes “Stream It Forward” on Fire TV; Amazon will make a donation to Best Friends for every hour of curated, animal-centered entertainment watched.
All aspects of Protect Playtime will benefit animals waiting for homes, officials say.
“For 15 years, PetArmor has protected pets from outdoor threats,” says Kyle Lembke, Sr. Brand Director from PetIQ, in a press release. “Now we’re protecting their chance at finding a loving home. By giving the adoptable dogs and cats AI-powered animated videos that visualize their future and building shelter spaces where they can show their personalities, we’re removing the barriers between pets in shelters and the families who will love them.”
