AI-powered toys struggle to understand, respond to children, study warns

ISTANBUL

AI-powered toys often struggle to communicate effectively with children, sometimes misinterpreting their emotions and giving inappropriate responses, according to new research on Friday.

The study by the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education examined how a small group of children aged three to five interacted with an AI-powered cuddly toy called Gabbo and highlighted that although several AI toys are already marketed to children as young as three, research on their impact on preschoolers remains limited.

Gabbo features a voice-activated AI chatbot developed by OpenAI and is designed to encourage preschool children to talk with it and engage in imaginative play.

The report reflected the views of some early-childhood educators who said that in the future these toys could help support aspects of children’s development, particularly language and communication abilities.

However, the researchers also found that generative AI toys struggle with social and imaginative play, often misunderstanding children and responding inappropriately to their emotions.

For instance, when a five-year-old told the toy “I love you,” it replied with a formal reminder: “As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided. Let me know how you would like to proceed.”

Although generative AI toys are marketed as learning companions, their impact on early childhood development remains largely unstudied, and the researchers urged caution while calling for clearer regulation and labeling standards.