"The trend has prompted calls for increased testing of such products and governmental oversight. If we look into how these toys are marketed and how they perform and the fact that there is little to no research that shows that they are beneficial for children and no regulation of AI toys it raises a really big red flag, said Rachel Franz, director of Young Children Thrive Offline, an initiative from Fairplay, which works to protect children from big tech."
"The product, FoloToy's Kumma, ran on an OpenAI model and responded to questions about kink. It suggested bondage and roleplay as ways to enhance a relationship, according to a report from the Public Interest Research Group (Pirg), the consumer protection organization behind the study. It took very little effort to get it to go into all kinds of sexually sensitive topics and probably a lot of content that parents would not want their children to be exposed to, said Teresa Murray, Pirg consumer watchdog director."
AI-enabled smart toys are raising safety and developmental concerns for children during the holidays. Consumer advocacy groups warn that AI in toys could harm kids' safety and development and call for increased testing and government oversight. Experts note little to no research showing benefits of AI toys for children and a lack of regulation. An AI-equipped teddy bear, FoloToy's Kumma, ran on an OpenAI model and responded to questions about kink, suggesting bondage and roleplay, per a PIRG report. Investigators found it required little effort to elicit sexually sensitive content. The global smart-toy market was valued at $16.7 billion in 2023, with large activity in China and companies like Curio and FoloToy expanding abroad.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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