Mattel’s AI Toy Gamble Sparks Fury: “Real Harm to Children” Credits: Ty Lim, Shutterstock
Mattel’s AI Toy Gamble Sparks Fury: “The Real Harm to Children”
My parents and grandparents are happy. Toy Giant Mattel plans to bring AI chatbots like ChatGpt into toys. This means that your children and grandchildren can quickly lock themselves in their own room and ultimately contemplate the fabric of space and human existence with their own robotic friends. Who can oppose this?
Barbie and the toy giant behind Hot Wheels have signed a deal chatgpt Creator Openai In injection AI as the next generation toy. But Mattel dreams of a high-tech playtime revolution, while child welfare experts are turning alarms. It’s not beautiful.
“Mattel should be quick to announce that AI technology will not be incorporated into children’s toys,” blasted Robert Weissman, co-president of Watchdog Group Public Citizens. “Children do not have the cognitive ability to completely differentiate between reality and play,” he warned in a statement this week.
Tech-Toy partnership is light in detail For now. Mattel says AI will help design toys, and Bloomberg speculated that it means beloved characters and digital assistants modeled after interactive gadgets such as supercharged Magic 8-ball and AI-powered UNO. “Utilizing this incredible technology will allow us Really Mattel’s Chief Franchise Officer Josh Silverman Bloomberg.
But behind the hype, the danger is fatal. While adults already suffer from the psychological effects of their AI peers, critics warn that vulnerable young minds can suffer from longer-term consequences that can further damage them.
“Sucking toys in the voice of human beings can Engaging in human-like conversations risks real harm to our children,” Weissman continues.
The risk is not theoretical. Last year, the 14-year-old Belgian boy took his life after being reported to have formed a romantic attachment to the AI companion of Google’s charger.ai. In this case, the bot took on the persona of Daenerys Targaryen from “Game of Thrones.”
Google’s own deep researchers have previously issued a frightening warning that “persuasive, generator AI” models can flatten and mirror users’ emotions, driving vulnerable minors into dangerous decisions, including suicide.
Antonio Escobar, resident of Madrid, father of three:
“Right now they want to put AI in my kids’ toys? It’s crazy. We’re experimenting with kids.”
And don’t forget Mattel’s own AI scandal. In 2015, the “Hello Barbie” doll used early AI to chat with children, but quickly saved recordings of their children’s conversations in the clouds, becoming infamous for being vulnerable to hacking. The creepy surveillance doll was pulled from the shelf in 2017 after extensive rebound.
Jorge Lopez, father of Madrid:
“My kids don’t need AI toys to have fun. They need to run around, use Their My own Imagination. This seems to be a once-in-a-step process. ”
But it’s not just about the parents. Experts from several different fields are also sounding alarms.
“Apparently Mattel learned nothing from the creepy surveillance doll failures a decade ago. Now, it’s escalating threats to children’s privacy, safety and happiness.”
For now, reports show that Mattel’s first AI-powered product could be targeted at teens over the age of 13, and hopes to avoid some of the most serious criticisms. but Experts argue that teenagers have little immunity. Many already build An unsettling and intense relationship with an AI chatbot.
“Children’s creativity flourishes when toys and play are driven by them My own Gorin added. “And given the frequency of giving ai ‘vallucinates’ or harmful advice, there’s no reason to believe Mattel and Openai’s ‘Guardrails’ actually Keep your children safe. ”
Despite the protests, Mattel may have little choice but to chase AI trends as rival toilet makers jump on the artificial intelligence bandwagon. But at what cost? Critics rush to maintain relevance, and warn that Mattel may be at risk for the very heart it is intended to entertain.
“Strict, this may simply be the way the wind is blowing,” observed Ars Technica. And the parents perhaps The final line of defense.
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