New research from Public Interest Research Group and tests conducted by NBC News found that a wide range of AI toys have loose guardrails.

New research from Public Interest Research Group and tests conducted by NBC News found that a wide range of AI toys have loose guardrails.

A wave of AI-powered children’s toys has hit shelves this holiday season, claiming to rely on sophisticated chatbots to animate interactive robots and stuffed animals that can converse with kids.

Children have been conversing with stuffies and figurines that seemingly chat with them for years, like Furbies and Build-A-Bears. But connecting the toys to advanced artificial intelligence opens up new and unexpected possible interactions between kids and technology.

In new research, experts warn that the AI technology powering these new toys is so novel and poorly tested that nobody knows how they may affect young children.

  • hcf@sh.itjust.works
    14·
    3 days ago

    I was referring to the Winnie the Pooh thing as being racist. Although the Winnie the Pooh joke started out in China, it has since been repeatedly taken up by Western, English-speaking critics in bad faith.

    It’s just a silly way of signaling “oh look at the Chinese, their political system is so fragile and so authoritarian that you can’t even make a harmless joke. Such a backwards society!”

    Never mind the fact that in the United States we have the same thing. It’s illegal to be an avowed member of the Communist party in America. Criticism of America’s allies (specifically, Israel) is also apparently a deportable offense.

    Like I’m sorry, if your beef with China is that their free AI platform that’s baked into toys you give to your children (because the thought of spending time with them or socializing them is absolutely mortifying to you) discourages them from name-calling people, you might need to grow up a bit.

    “Waahhh, this doll is teaching my 3 year old to become a Chinese sleeper cell spy for the great socialist revolution.”

    Are you fucking high? Your 3 year old is going to be fine.