Christmas is less than a week away. The stores are busy, and websites are busy. Maybe you’ve seen AI toys for sale and think one might make a nice toy for a kid in your life. Buyer beware, because some of these toys can put kids in situations or share information that may not be suitable for young kids. Let’s talk.

What is an AI toy?

AI toys are toys that rely on some type of AI technology. Often, the AI is a chatbot that allows the toy to have a conversation with the child. For those of a certain age, think of old school Teddy Ruxpin. But instead of pee-recorded answers,the toy is able to chat about anything. These toys can record the child, send audio recordings to a central server, generate a response, and send data back that the toy can verbalize.

Why would an AI toy be a problem?

Researchers and public advocacy groups have several concerns about AI toys, including privacy and inappropriate content. Many of these toys can record the child’s voice and take pictures. These are often uploaded to a central server for further processing and to direct the toy’s next steps of interaction. Many parents who would not otherwise authorize strangers to have their child’s picture or audio, may not realize that by purchasing these toys they have allowed just that.

Also, keep in mind that these toys are powered by the same technology behind ChatGPT, which doesn’t allow users younger than 13 to sign up. Some of these toys do not have strict controls on what can be discusssed with a child. Toy testers have found that these AI toys will talk about concerning topics like how to find matches and sexual touching.

Don’t toy makers test AI toys and make them suitable for children?

Sure they do, but these toys’ capabilities can be quite complex. Manufacturers may be rushing to get the product to market and not doing the rigorous testing needed for many possible directions the conversation could go.

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