AI Cat Account Lands Prada, Volkswagen Deals
Meow Ziqi, an AI-generated cat social media account launched in April, has attracted major brand sponsorships from luxury and automotive companies.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Cats
Meow Ziqi, a social media account featuring three AI-generated cats that cook traditional Chinese dishes and practise heritage crafts, has landed sponsorships with Prada, Volkswagen and Estée Lauder. The account launched in April and has amassed over 1.76 million followers and more than 500 million views.
Why it matters
The account's commercial success shows that AI-generated pet content can generate substantial brand income, with sponsorship revenue covering the creator's computing costs. The rise also arrives as Li Ziqi, a former cultural influencer with 56 million fans, returned to content creation after a three-year hiatus.
The creator reports computing costs of roughly 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) per month, while top AI pet creators are reportedly earning over 80,000 yuan per sponsored clip. The sample of creators behind these figures and the sustainability of the income remain unclear.
The players
Li Ziqi
Li Ziqi is a Sichuan-born cultural influencer known for cinematic depictions of rustic Chinese life, whose content captivated over 56 million fans worldwide before she stepped away from social media in 2021.
The details
The creator, a 29-year-old self-taught content creator who previously worked as a real estate copywriter, drew inspiration from his two pet cats. He combines sponsorships with online courses and branded merchandise to generate income.
Timeline
April 2026: Meow Ziqi account launched and began gaining popularity.
2021: Li Ziqi began a three-year hiatus following a legal feud with her former agency.
2024: Li Ziqi returned with a lacquer art series.
January 2026: Li Ziqi appeared in a UNESCO promotional video.
Culture Shift
The account extends the rustic, traditional-craft format that Li Ziqi built into a global audience with 56 million fans, replacing a human presenter with AI-generated cats. Its rapid commercial uptake signals how the template for Chinese heritage content is being adapted to synthetic creators.
Readers who follow pet content or consider creator careers can see that sponsorship income for AI pet accounts can exceed monthly production costs by a wide margin. The account also shows how a small team or single creator can build audience reach without filming real animals.
The takeaway
Brand sponsorships are increasingly flowing to synthetic creators, so audiences should expect more AI-generated personalities across pet and lifestyle content. Anyone evaluating similar accounts should check whether follower and view counts reflect sustained engagement.
Further reading
Explore more cat stories and pet culture coverage on our site for related context.
Source note: This article includes information reported by South China Morning Post.
