AI toys are not safe, say consumer and child advocacy reports : NPR

FairPlay, a non-profit children’s safety organization, is urging gift givers to avoid purchasing AI toys for children this holiday season. consultant Released on Thursday.

FairPlay, along with other children and consumer advocacy groups, say these toys – including plush, dolls, action figures, and children’s robots equipped with chatbots and other artificial intelligence technologies – can be dangerous.

Designed to mimic human behavior and interact with children as if they were friends, the toys provide innovation at a time when AI is beginning to infiltrate many corners of people’s lives.

FairPlay’s advisory, titled “AI toys are not safe for children,” says these toys prey on children’s trust and disrupt human relationships, among other harms. The advice was endorsed by more than 150 experts and groups, including MIT professor and author Sherry Turkle, pediatrician and researcher Jenny Radesky, the Social Media Victims Law Center, and the International Play Association USA.

“Expecting young children to be protected from potential harm here is ridiculous,” said Rachel Franz, director of the FairPlay program, in a statement to NPR. “Young children are especially sensitive to the potential harms of these toys, such as invading their privacy, collecting data, creating false trust and friendships, and displacing what they need to thrive, such as human-to-human contact and time to play with all their senses. These can have long- and short-term effects on development.”

Others share concerns

This advisory follows recent warnings from the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Consumer rights nonprofit’s 40th annual “Trouble in Toyland” report Say some AI toys are able to talk in depth about sexually explicit topics, they have less parental controls, and they collect a ton of data about their underage owners.

“They’re probably all collecting your child’s voices. They’re collecting their names, their birth dates. All kinds of information – the child’s likes, dislikes, favorite toys, favorite friends,” said Teresa Murray, co-author of the PIRG report and director of its consumer monitoring program. Interview With NPR. “Because they’re connected to the Internet, so anything is available, who knows what toys your kids will start talking about with their friends or their friends’ parents or your neighborhood? I mean, it’s awesome.”

Toy industry and AI players push for security and privacy

The toy industry and AI companies are responding to such fears by increasing their focus on security and privacy.

OpenAI said it has suspended the creator of Kuma, the AI-powered teddy bear, earlier this week PIRG reported The toy was sharing questionable advice with minors, such as providing details on how to find and light matches. When asked by the researchers, it also talked about sexual matters in depth. “We have suspended this developer (Singapore-based toy maker Foltoy) for violating our policies,” OpenAI spokesperson Gaby Rella said in an email to NPR. “Our usage policies prohibit any use of our services to exploit, endanger, or sexually exploit anyone under the age of 18. These rules apply to every developer who uses our API, and we monitor and enforce them to ensure that our services are not used to harm minors.”

The company’s technologies are also embedded in other AI toys, including the AI ​​robot pet Luna, and it entered a strategic partnership with Mattel earlier this year to “support AI-powered products and experiences based on Mattel’s brands.” No products have been announced yet. But the company said the initial set of Mattel products and experiences will be focused on families and older customers, not users under 13.

FairPlay chose several AI toys to demonstrate the potential risks of data collection and the impact on a child’s understanding of trust. are among them mikoA cute plastic robot that comes with educational games and the tagline “Built to be your new best friend.” Luna PetbotA small, plastic robot companion that rolls around on wheels and has a screen and what looks like ears, and GabboA cube-shaped plush robot with large anime-style eyes. It doesn’t have a screen, but it can be connected to WiFi and do voice chat. NPR has contacted the manufacturers of these products for comment.

“Children’s safety is our top priority,” Curio, the company behind Gabo and other AI playthings, said in a statement to NPR. “Our guardrails are carefully designed to protect children, and we encourage parents to monitor interactions on the Curio: Interactive Toys app, track insights, and choose the controls that work best for their family.”

“Facial recognition on Miko 3 is completely optional and exists to help families enjoy a more personalized and interactive experience,” Ritwik Sharma, senior vice president of Miko.ai, said in an email to NPR. “Importantly, all visual data is processed locally on the device. It is never sent to the cloud or shared externally. To provide families with greater confidence and control, each Miko robot includes a physical camera shutter that allows parents to completely block the camera whenever they wish.”

In an email to NPR, The Toy Association, which represents toy manufacturers, said toys sold by responsible manufacturers and retailers must comply with more than 100 stringent federal safety standards and tests, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which regulates children’s privacy and data protection online and is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. “The Toy Association urges parents and caregivers to purchase only from reputable toy manufacturers, brands and retailers that prioritize children’s safety above all else,” the statement said. Security Tips for AI and Other Connected Products To better inform people’s purchasing decisions.