The company Curio, located in Redwood city, California is bringing a new kind of toy to market: chatbots wrapped in stuffed animals. Its founders, Misha Sallee and Sam Eaton, have created plushies \u2014 Grem, Grok and Gaboo, with each one of them having a Wi-Fi enabled voice box hidden inside. This voice box connects the toy to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) language model designed to talk to young children.<\/p>\n
These toys, which are priced at $99 each are joining a growing number of other AI-enabled objects marketed to kids. This trend is set to expand, as OpenAI has partnered with Mattel to develop AI-powered products based on popular brands like Barbie and Ken, said Amanda Hess from the New York Times.<\/p>\n
The new take on playtime<\/strong><\/p>\n Curio promotes its products as an alternative to screen time, appealing to parents who are busy and want to keep their kids off tablets and phone screens. The company\u2019s co-founder, Eaton described the plushies as a \u201csidekick\u201d who could make children\u2019s play \u201cmore stimulating,\u201d freeing up parents from having to sit their children in front of a TV. <\/p>\n Also Read<\/strong> | ChatGPT boss warns against relying on AI as primary source of information<\/a><\/p>\n However Hess questioned this premise. While children already talk to their toys, the AI plushies add a layer of complexity. During a demonstration, Hess notes a bizarre conversation with one of the toys named Grem, which suggested a game of \u201cI Spy,\u201d despite not being able to see. She also points out the irony of these toys being an alternative to screens when they operate on a similar technological foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n From screen to sidekick<\/strong><\/p>\n The idea of a mechanical friend is already familiar to children, because as they watch television, they are served stories about artificially intelligent sidekicks and their wondrous deeds.<\/p>\n TV shows like “Adventure Time\u201d and “Sesame Street,\u201d feature characters like BMO and Smartie who are personified technological devices that help the main characters.<\/p>\n Also Read<\/strong> | Samsung launches AI-powered home appliances in India starting at \u20b924,500<\/a><\/p>\n Hess also cited the character Toodles from \u201cMickey Mouse Clubhouse\u201d as a prime example. As compared to older Disney cartoons where physical objects posed vexing challenges for Mickey and friends, Toodles in a sentient tablet that instantly solves every challenge with \u201cMouseketools.\u201d This trend teaches children that the answer to every human problem is a voice-activated<\/a> command away and the ultimate endpoint for their curiosity is inside a device, she argued.<\/p>\n By bringing these characters into children\u2019s physical spaces, in the form of cuddly toys, the terrifying specter of \u201cthe screen\u201d has been obscured. Yet playtime is still tethered to a technological leash, as the toy\u2019s conversations with a child are back-channeled to a large language model, she said.<\/p>\n Privacy and control in a cuddly package<\/strong><\/p>\n Other than the psychological aspects of using an AI-powered toy, these products also raise concerns about privacy and parental control. Curio, for instance, ensures that every conversation with its chatbots is transcribed and sent to the guardian\u2019s phone. The company says that these conversations are not retained for other purposes, though its privacy policy illustrates all the various pathways a child\u2019s data might take, including to the third-party companies OpenAI and Perplexity AI.<\/p>\n