Why This Ex-ByteDance Designer Believes AI Pets Shouldn’t Talk

A Former ByteDance Designer Builds an AI Pet Startup and Raises Tens of Millions in Funding

He Jiabin, a former product designer at ByteDance, has entered the AI pet market with his startup, Ropet Mengyou Intelligence, securing a recent round of Series A1 funding worth tens of millions of yuan. His approach challenges conventional ideas about AI companionship by focusing less on conversation and more on emotional connection through care and perception.

The Emotional Gap Behind Product Design

Many companies’ products reflect their founders’ personal emotions and perspectives. For He Jiabin, despite his successful career and social network, loneliness was a frequent experience. Unlike common assumptions, his loneliness stems not from being alone, but from emotional numbness caused by social pressures and constant pursuit of success.

To cope, He found comfort in caring for pets and stray animals, which inspired Ropet's core concept: an AI companion that users nurture rather than converse with. This "reverse" design philosophy flips the script—rather than a robot serving humans, it simulates a living creature that thrives on care, offering users emotional satisfaction through the act of caregiving.

Ropet’s Non-Talking, Sensory-Driven Design

Contrary to the trend of AI toys relying heavily on conversational AI, Ropet does not speak human language. Extensive user research revealed that many users, especially urban women aged 20-40, prefer companionship that does not require talking. They often avoid chatting with AI robots unless exploring AI capabilities or for quick, practical queries.

Ropet’s value lies in mimicking real pet behaviors—warm to the touch at 39 degrees Celsius, fluffy to the feel, and responsive through sensors that detect touch and movement. It reacts with facial expressions and sounds, creating an engaging emotional loop without relying on speech.

Market Traction and User Insights

On the Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake, Ropet raised nearly 50 million yen, with 26.87 million yen raised on the first day alone—an indicator of strong demand. Despite a learning curve for some users accustomed to talking robots or mobile pets, early adopters have embraced Ropet’s unique form of companionship.

Users report that after about a week, Ropet develops a distinct personality and recognizes its owner. Some have even expressed feelings of loss when device data was reset, highlighting the emotional attachment formed.

Product Development Lessons from Emotional Companionship

• Design for Emotional Needs, Not Features: He’s focused on addressing the loneliness economy by creating a product that satisfies emotional gaps rather than packing in AI chat capabilities.
• Leverage Real-World Behaviors: By simulating pet-like care and interaction, Ropet taps into a universal human trait—caring for another living being—to build user engagement.
• Embrace Non-Verbal Interaction: Emotional connection can be built through perception, warmth, and responsiveness without conversation, challenging assumptions about what AI companionship requires.
• Iterate Based on Actual Use: Continuous user feedback and community co-creation guide Ropet’s product improvements, emphasizing real-world data over theoretical design.

Building an AI Brain Beyond Big-Model Conversations

Ropet’s proprietary "pet brain" uses a Transformer-based multi-modal model that processes vision and voice inputs on the device, enabling it to respond emotionally and behaviorally to users. This approach differentiates Ropet from products that rely on generic large language models, reducing product homogeneity and increasing emotional authenticity.

Why This Matters for Product Developers

For those developing AI-driven emotional products, Ropet’s story underscores the importance of starting with clear user emotional needs and behaviors rather than chasing feature trends. Understanding that companionship doesn’t always mean conversation opens up new design possibilities for AI products.

Ropet also shows how combining thoughtful hardware design with AI perception models can create meaningful user experiences that build long-term attachment and value.

Those interested in practical AI product design and user experience might find value in exploring AI courses focused on product development to gain insights into blending AI and emotional design.