Home alone no more: AI-powered entertainment for dogs (and sometimes cats)

Your beloved dog is home alone. Is she okay? Upset? Bored? Staring at the door, wondering if you’ll ever come back? 

You’d love to race home, but you can’t leave the office for another six hours.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people brought pets into their homes for companionship. But now, with many pet owners having to return to the office, a large number of cats and dogs are left home alone during the day.

Hundreds of thousands of pets now struggle with separation anxiety and behavioural issues as a result of the pandemic, according to studies.

Here’s where AI helps. There has been a surge in AI-driven home entertainment designed specifically for pets. We’re way past simple Youtube videos - now we’re talking about dog-focused video streaming, music and even phone calls. 

1. Dogsplay ($699): The world’s first media box for dogs

This South Korea-based company offers an all-in-one media box:  

🐾 Dogflix: Movies and shows designed just for pups (complete with Dog Filter to adjust the brightness to doggie eyes).  

🎵 Dog music: Over 20 free built-in music tracks to sooth doggie nerves

📞 Dog call & app: For chatting to your dog.

You don’t even need to be home to switch it on. The box has a motion sensor that activates it when the dog approaches.

2. DogMusic AI: Customised canine playlist 

Some dogs love jazz, others prefer… pawp music (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves). Some might have more eclectic tastes that require a customised playlist. DogMusic AI uses Suno AI technology to create songs to match your dog’s needs. Starts at US$12.99/month.

3. One By One Music: Soothing tunes for pooches

Japan-based startup One By One Music aims to “save pets with music”. Its songs are deliberately downtempo to soothe distressed dogs and create a calming atmosphere. The package costs 980 yen (approx. US$6.50) per month.  

🐕️ When the human’s away, the dogs can play

So far, dog-focused products dominate the AI-driven pet entertainment market. This emerging opportunity is expected to form a growing portion of the global pet tech market, which was estimated at US$10.5 billion in 2023. The pet tech market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.9% to reach US$41.3 billion in 2032 (Global Market Insights). 

But what about cats?

In some ways, cats don’t require as much entertaining as dogs. Or do they?

Witness the adorable Ella sulking when her family inconsiderately takes over the TV (Ella also insists on watching cartoons every morning). Or the masses of cats who are captivated with the dialogue-free movie, Flow. 

While dogs may be the VIPs of the pet entertainment industry, we’re keeping our eyes open for a boom in cat-specific offerings (Dogsplay says it is developing content suitable for cats).

But then again, maybe even AI isn’t clever enough to decipher what cats truly want.

Spread this Pawsome Report! 🐾📩!

Quick question: How does your dog cope with being home alone?

Hit reply and let us know!

Until next week 🐾 🐾 

P.S. If you haven’t already, please subscribe below!

Protect your pet starting at $10 a month

Some pet surgeries can cost as much as a trip to Europe!

Pet insurance can help you offset these costs for as low as $10/month.

View Money’s Best Pet Insurance list and find protection today.

Find protection for your pet