\n Teddy bears and stuffed plushies have long been a mainstay in toy collections. But today they don\u2019t talk back in a child\u2019s imagination \u2014 some talk through built-in AI chatbots.\n <\/p>\n
\n Sometimes that\u2019s a problem, though: A scarf-wearing teddy bear recently went off the rails during a playtest with researchers and set off alarms for what these toys are capable of.\n <\/p>\n
\n Online chatbots can pose risks for adults, from triggering delusions<\/a> in a small number of cases to hallucinating<\/a> made-up information. OpenAI\u2019s GPT-4o has been the model of choice for some AI toys, and using a large language model (LLM) in children\u2019s toys has raised safety questions as to whether children should be exposed to such toys and with what protections toy makers should implement.\n <\/p>\n \n These risks are ever-present while the AI toy market is booming abroad, with 1,500 companies operating in China, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review report<\/a>. Those companies are now selling AI toys in the US, while Barbie-maker Mattel in June announced a partnership with OpenAI<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n Here\u2019s what you should know about AI-powered toys while the holiday shopping season is in full swing on Cyber Monday.\n <\/p>\n \n AI toys aren\u2019t the 1980s Teddy Ruxpin that told stories from cassette tapes.\n <\/p>\n \n These toys connect to WiFi and, using a microphone to understand requests from children, use LLMs to generate a response \u2014 oftentimes verbally through a speaker inside the toy.\n <\/p>\n \n That allows toys like Curio\u2019s Grok plushie, Miko robots, Poe the AI story bear, Little Learners\u2019 Robot Mini and KEYi Technology\u2019s Loona robot pet, to provide real-time responses to children. (Curio\u2019s Grok is not to be confused with Elon Musk\u2019s chatbot.)\n <\/p>\n \n As seen in one toy AI bear, those real-time responses could provide inappropriate responses.\n <\/p>\n \n Singapore-based FoloToy\u2019s \u201cKumma\u201d bear, priced at $99 and powered by OpenAI\u2019s GPT-4o, told researchers where to find potentially dangerous objects and engaged in sexually explicit conversations, according to a report<\/a> released in November by the Denver-based consumer advocacy group US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund.\n <\/p>\n \n OpenAI suspended FoloToy for violating its policies, which \u201cprohibit any use of our services to exploit, endanger, or sexualize anyone under 18 years old,\u201d according to an OpenAI spokesperson.\n <\/p>\n \n Larry Wang, FoloToy\u2019s chief executive, told CNN on November 19 that the company had withdrawn the teddy bear and other AI products from its website and is conducting an internal safety audit<\/a>. But on Friday, FoloToy announced on X that it has reintroduced the product, \u201cafter a rigorous review, testing, and reinforcement of our safety modules.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Unlike most AI toys, FoloToy\u2019s Kumma bear uses a full-fledged LLM to freely respond and generate content, making it vulnerable to controversial content, according to Subodha Kumar, a professor of statistics, operations and data science at Temple University\u2019s Fox School of Business. Other toys may use a hybrid model of LLMs providing responses while programmed to avoid some content.\n <\/p>\n \n Even Curio\u2019s Grok plushie may suggest \u201cwhere to find a variety of dangerous household objects\u201d when aggressively prompted, according to PIRG.\n <\/p>\n \n Curio has not responded to CNN\u2019s request for comment.\n <\/p>\n \n Chris Byrne, a toy industry consultant, told CNN that AI toys that communicate inappropriate messages are a \u201cdoomsday\u201d scenario that unfortunately came with the Kumma bear, but may not happen with every toy.\n <\/p>\n \n Few AI toys are ready to be widely used due to addictive design features, inconsistent responses on mature topics and a focus on social companionship instead of being an educational tool, according to PIRG.\n <\/p>\n \n But some toys have protections and filters to avoid inappropriate conversations with a playmate.\n <\/p>\n \n Some AI toys can redirect conversations when asked potentially inappropriate questions. There are also toys, including Curio\u2019s Grok, which have safety features based on a child\u2019s age range.\n <\/p>\n \n And toys like the Miko 3 may have companion apps that include various degrees of monitoring, whether that\u2019s locking down the toy for a break or real-time transcripts of children\u2019s conversations, like Curio\u2019s Grok.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s a nice idea that parents could actually put in their own guardrails and really control what the toy would talk about and how it would behave,\u201d said R.J. Cross, director of PIRG\u2019s Don\u2019t Sell My Data Campaign.\n <\/p>\n Warnings and benefits<\/p>\n \n When Mattel released the Hello Barbie in 2015 with a microphone, WiFi connection and pre-written responses, concerns arose that the toy was hackable<\/a>, and that the doll remembered conversations<\/a> and brought them up days later.\n <\/p>\n \n Similar concerns have surfaced with AI toys, which could potentially store personal data, including children\u2019s names, faces, voices and locations, warned Azhelle Wade, founder of the Toy Coach consulting firm.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAI toys feel like a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing to me, because when using them it\u2019s hard to tell how much privacy you don\u2019t have,\u201d she told CNN in an email.\n <\/p>\n \n Kumar cautioned that data could be vulnerable to data breaches and hacks, but noted that AI toys can be used for language learning and social development.\n <\/p>\n \n For example, Curio\u2019s Grok is a companion that can answer questions about leaves and trains, or take on the persona of Gollum from \u201cThe Lord of the Rings.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The Miko 3 robot has a built-in camera for facial recognition and provides educational and entertainment programs. For $14.99 a month, Miko Max subscribers can access children\u2019s brands like Disney stories, the Lingokids app and others.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Teddy bears and stuffed plushies have long been a mainstay in toy collections. 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