Petbarn PetAI app: Do my pets really need AI?

Petbarn has launched an app with AI – or specifically PetAI – at its centrepiece. Because if everything else in 2024 has AI in it, why not my cat?

It’s the time of year for dictionaries to start releasing their words of the year, but in the tech space it’s pretty clear that AI still rules the roost, even though I’m not sure that words can “win” that dubious accolade multiple years in a row anyway.

As such, there’s AI in everything from laptops to toothbrushes, and now, pets. Or specifically, a PetAI agent built into Australian pet supplies retailer Petbarn’s new app. I went along to the launch of the app to find out a little more.

Ethical disclaimer: Petbarn gave me a bag full of cat treats and a gift card on the way out of the launch of the Petbarn app. Makes no difference to the way I write articles, but if I’m going to note when a tech product is going back, I guess I have to note when I get things like this with a solid retail value. Full disclosure is important and all that.

Cat treats you say?

Quiet, you.

Not shockingly, the Petbarn app is primarily a sales avenue for selling all the products you might find in one of their stores, but the use of AI is intended to give it an edge in what is reportedly a $3.7 billion-a-year market. That’s a LOT of doggie chew toys!

PetAI is built around Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI platform and a database that Petbarn representatives told me has been specifically built around Australian pet needs and issues, whether that’s health issues for your pets or seeking recommendations about the options available for your pet’s Christmas treats.

Reminder: Don’t feed your pets chocolate. It will not end well, and it’s a waste of chocolate too.

No chocolate, got it. What about those treats?

The idea is that you effectively “enrol” your pet – complete with a photo if so desired – into the petbarn app and then it builds up a picture of its wants and needs (and yours) based around both your purchase history and the kinds of questions you’re asking it.

As yet the app doesn’t have the ability to check whether your local store has stock of a given product in when you ask, but I’m told that’s a future roadmap proposal they’re looking into.

While the app is the pitch right now, it’s also built into Petbarn’s web site if you didn’t fancy actually giving over your pet’s data, though (understandably) it’s less likely to give you precise advice if you’re asking more generalised questions about a pet it knows nothing about.

It’s not just limited to cats and dogs either, with the promise of being able to handle questions about any kind of animal it’s legal to own in Australia. I was curious about that point, as many web searches will turn up information that’s less pertinent in Australia if the critter in question isn’t one that’s legal to keep as a pet here.

PetAI: Alex’s take

Honestly while a lot of the AI approaches being hyped right now are little more than just hype, I can see the appeal here of having a properly curated database of animal data – both medical and product-based – to draw upon.

It’s not quite an Aussie vet in your pocket – Petbarn has its own tie-ups with specific vets for that purpose, and yep, that’s built into the app as well – and to a certain extent it is also a way for Petbarn to try to keep customers buying specifically from them too as it recommends products that you could buy from them because that’s what it knows about.

Can we get back to talking about those treats?