Meitu, the Hong Kong-listed photo and design app developer, reported strong first-half earnings Monday and said it now sees itself as an “AI company” as artificial intelligence increasingly drives its business. Net profit rose 71% year over year to RMB 470 million ($65 million) on revenue of RMB 1.8 billion ($251 million), up 12.3%. The company said revenue was lifted by its core imaging and design products, which contributed more than 74% of total revenue, as well as by subscription growth. Paying subscribers jumped 42% to 15.4 million, generating RMB 15.4 million ($2.14 million). Despite being positioned as a productivity tool, it went viral on social media and quickly surpassed 1 million monthly active users.