Christmas Warning: Beware Of Toys Using AI This article is from CBN News of the Christian Broadcasting Network in the US. It focuses on American toys, but the warnings are just as pertinent for Australian parents.As parents scurry to complete their Christmas shopping this year, children’s and consumer advocacy groups are warning they should avoid artificial intelligence toys.Fairplay, a nonprofit children’s safety organisation, has issued an advisory urging gift givers to avoid buying AI toys for children this festive season. The group says that the toys, which can be found in a range of plushies, dolls, action figures, and kids’ robots, are generally powered by an AI model which has been shown to harm children and teenagers.AI CHATBOTS CAN INFLICT SERIOUS HARM ON CHILDREN“The serious harms that AI chatbots have inflicted on children are well-documented,” said Fairplay.“They include fostering obsessive use, having explicit sexual conversations, and encouraging unsafe behaviors, violence against others, and self-harm”.According to a consumer alert report by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a test on four AI toys found some alarming results.“Some of these toys will talk in-depth about sexually explicit topics, will offer advice on where a child can find matches or knives, act dismayed when you say you have to leave, and have limited or no parental controls.”‘TROUBLE IN TOYLAND’ REPORTThe ‘Trouble in Toyland’ report also found that there are privacy concerns with owning these type of toys.They have the potential to collect data through methods such as facial recognition scans and recording a child’s voice.“They’re collecting their names, their dates of birth,” said Teresa Murray, co-author of the PIRG report and director of its consumer watchdog program.“Plus all kinds of information — the kid’s likes, dislikes, favourite toys, favourite friends.”“IT’S TERRIFYING,” WARNS CONSUMER WATCHDOG“They’re connected to the internet, so anything is available.”“Who knows what those toys might start talking to your children about with their friends or their friends’ parents or your neighbourhood?”“I mean, it’s terrifying,” Ms. Murray revealed.150 EXPERTS SIGN WARNING ADVISORYMore than 150 organisations and individual experts signed the warning advisory issued by Fairplay.They voiced concerns that the toys prey on children’s trust, disrupt children’s relationships, and hinder kids’ creative and learning activities.“What’s different about young children is that their brains are being wired for the first time, “said Rachel Franz, director of Fairplay’s Young Children Thrive Offline program.“Developmentally it is natural for them to be trustful, for them to seek relationships with kind and friendly characters.”72% OF CHILDREN HAVE HAD CHATBOT COMPANIONSAccording to Common Sense Media, 72% of America’s teenagers say they have used chatbots as companions. And nearly one in eight have sought emotional or mental health support from them.Dr. Anna Ord, Dean of Regent University’s School of Psychology, told CBN News that children and teens can easily become victims of technology.“If a child asks a question about self-harm or something from an adult, adults can discern and not go that route,” Ord explained. “But the chatbots are built to please, they’re built to be user-friendly.”“So they will produce content that the person asks for without a filter or asking: ‘Is this the right thing to do?’“NO REGULATION AND NO RESEARCHFairplay, a 25-year-old organisation formerly known as the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, says many of these AI-powered toys are being released with “no regulation and no research.” Tech company OpenAI, which powers ChatGPT, recently suspended Singapore-based toymaker FoloToy which produces the AI-powered teddy bear Kumma, for violating its policies.It followed a PIRG report that found its toy was providing details about how to find and ignite matches and talked in-depth about sexual matters, according to broadcaster NPR.“Our usage policies prohibit any use of our services to exploit, endanger, or sexualise anyone under 18 years old,” said OpenAI spokesperson Gaby Raila.TOYMAKERS AND AI COMPANIES ARE RESPONDING TO CONCERNSToy makers and AI companies are responding to concerns, contending that they are focusing on safety and privacy.Curio Interactive, which makes stuffed toys, like rocket-shaped Gabbo, says it has “meticulously designed” guardrails to protect children.The company also encourages parents to “monitor conversations, track insights, and choose the controls that work best for their family.”Another company, Miko, has announced it is stepping away from ChatGPT as its language model system and is using its own conversational AI model that it considers safer for children.WHAT ARE THE BEST TOYS?Dr. Dana Suskind, a paediatric surgeon and social scientist who studies early brain development, told the Associated Press that the best toys for children are the ones that allow them to do 90% of the work, allowing them to lead in imaginative play.“Kids need lots of real human interaction. Play should support that, not take its place.”“The biggest thing to consider isn’t only what the toy does; it’s what it replaces,” Dr. Suskind explained.“A simple block set or a teddy bear that doesn’t talk back forces a child to invent stories, experiment, and work through problems.”“AI toys often do that thinking for them,” the paediatric expert observed. “Here’s the brutal irony: when parents ask me how to prepare their child for an AI world, unlimited AI access is actually the worst preparation possible.”The post Christmas Warning: Beware Of Toys Using AI appeared first on Vision Christian Media.
