PEDIGREE™ has announced an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform designed to revolutionize the adoption process for dogs in Brazil. Dubbed melhoramigo.ai, the platform will pair users with dogs from shelters that match their lifestyles using a conversational approach.
PEDIGREE™ unveils AI platform for dog adoption
As pet adoption levels soar globally, leading dog food brand PEDIGREE™ has unveiled an AI-based platform to match users with dogs in shelters. The platform, christened melhoramigo.ai, relies on a conversational experience to improve dog adoption processes.
In an interview with Charity Journal, Ricardo Marinho, Marketing Manager for PEDIGREE™, revealed the internal workings of the AI platform. At its core, melhoramigo.ai is a digitization of an already existing process, pairing intending adopters with dog shelters.
The platform goes the extra mile by making recommendations to users on compatible dogs based on lifestyle, utility, location, and how much time is spent at home. On the flip side, the AI platform also takes into account the temperament, size, and age of dogs before making a final recommendation.
In line with its quest for responsible pet adoption, PEDIGREE™ partnered with Instituto AMPARA Animal, Brazil’s largest animal protection NGO, for the launch. At the moment, melhoramigo.ai has over 300 registered dogs on the platform with plans to expand the scale of the offering.
“The platform is currently working exclusively with NGOs already known and registered in Instituto AMPARA Animal’s database, to ensure we’re indicating organizations that have been analyzed,” said Marinho.
Human connection is at the heart of melhoramigo.ai’s operations
Despite technology underpinning the pet adoption platform, Marinho told Charity Journal that the company still prioritizes human connection.
After matching users with a dog for potential adoption, melhoramigo.ai provides the contact information of the shelter for a direct conversation. The intent, according to Marinho, is to foster in-person connection before finalizing the adoption process.
“This is intentional: the platform streamlines and scales the process, but preserves the irreplaceable moment of a real, in-person connection,” added Marinho.
Unveiling the platform, PEDIGREE™ followed a two-pronged approach. The first phase involved placing black-and-white pieces in strategic locations across São Paulo while announcing a mysterious AI capable of finding a new friend.
Meanwhile, the second phase unveiled the platform, noting that AI is not a substitute for a real friend, nudging residents to use melhoramigo.ai to adopt a dog.
The move comes on the heels of the formalization of the pet economy in Brazil, one of the largest in the world. Experts opine that by leaning on AI, failed adoption levels will decline, saving billions in public and nonprofit spending while pairing dogs with long-term homes outside of overcrowded shelters.