From AI-powered bunnies to ‘live’ figures, startup reinvents smart toys with ChatGPT-like tech and China-designed chips

FoloToy is partnering with toymakers to upgrade traditional playthings with generative AI, creating interactive companions that can chat. Amid US export restrictions on AI chips, open-sourced LLMs from the US have helped Chinese startups come up with new uses for the technology. — SCMP

Two Chinese entrepreneurs are experimenting with generative artificial intelligence (AI) to transform traditional companion toys into smart robots designed to hold natural conversations with children, riding on a growing trend of technology-infused toys.

Founded by Larry Wang and Guo Xinghua last August, Shanghai-based startup FoloToy has partnered with over a dozen toymakers to use large language models (LLMs) – the technology that underpins intelligent bots such as ChatGPT – to upgrade toy designs and sell new products to consumers in China and overseas.