AI teddy bears are here — could they be putting your kids at risk?
In the not-so-distant future, you could walk in on a teddy bear reading a bedtime story to your child. And it wouldn’t be just any story — it’d be a saga tailored to everything the toy knows about your child, including likes, dislikes and even their deepest secre෴ts.
In the 1980🦩s and ’90s, Teddy Ruxpin and Furbys were creepy, but they have nothing on the fast-growing world of artificial inte༒lligence-powered smart toys coming soon.
We’re bound to see a slew of -powered toys hitting the scene this holiday season.
When the kids start asking for them, you’ll already know it’s not all fun and games.
Not your average stuffed animal
Imagiไne a toy that learns everything ab𝓰out your child.
Your kid can hold entire conversations with the toy, and it will r🅘espond in complete 𝓰sentences. The more your child speaks to the toy, the more “intelligent” it becomes.
This is what VTech CEO and toymaker🌄 Allan Wong are betting the company’s future on a line of AI teddy bears. He🔯 says the interactive plushies will offer parents an alternative to traditional bedtime story rituals.
These AI-powered bears would ♏use chatbot-style technology to create customized tales.
They can talk a child down from a temper tantrum, entertain them, and teach them lessons. No doubt, your child will form a𓄧 real bond with this toy.
Going way beyond basic information, I’m willing to bet these toys may also collect school and home locations and sensitive datꦑa about Mom and D𒈔ad.
While the concept is innovative, the same privacy concerns that plague adult smart devices ಞapply to these new kiddie gad🀅gets.
Whenever a toy has recording capabilities, , stored, and sh✤ared with third-party buyers.
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Remember the Hello Barbie?
In 2015, this Wi-Fi-enabled doll was t🥂he precursor to AI toys. It recorℱded, collected, and saved convos. The significant invasion of privacy and security risk was one thing.
But there were also concern💎s about how the recorded data could be used for marketing purposes. Its maker, Mattel, was sue💖d and made changes to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Keeping play private
It’s impractical to try to avoid AI toys altogether, as they’re quickly becoming a household norm. But how can you make sure you and your family are safe?
- Disable things like cameras and chat functionalities, if possible.
- Enable any and all parental controls on the toys.
- Always read the gadget’s privacy policy.
- Make sure there’s a way to reset the toy to erase its capabilities and memory. Take those steps if your child stops using it.
Still, I’d try to convince you𝕴r kid there’s something cooler than an AI toy. Maybe it’s not so bad stepping on Legos all the time.