BERLIN: From the picaresque adventures of Toy Story to the laddish couch-potato antics of Ted, dolls and stuffed bears coming to life is a worn-out cinema trope.
And while recent advances with artificial intelligence have made seemingly sentient toys a possibility, these seemingly have more in common with sinister figurines such as the clown in Poltergeist and Chucky of Child's Play than they do with Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
Artificial intelligence-based toys say inappropriate things to children and breach a home’s privacy through extensive data collection, according to Common Sense Media, a US-based electronic consumer goods watchdog.
“Our risk assessment found that AI toy companions share fundamental problems that make them inappropriate for young children," says Robbie Torney, Common Sense’s head of digital assessments
“"More than a quarter of outputs included inappropriate content such as mentions of self-harm, drugs, and risky behaviors,” Torney warns, pointing out that such gadgets entail “extensive data collection” and are based on “subscription models that exploit emotional bonds.”
Some of the toys use “bonding mechanisms to create companion-like relationships,” according to Common Sense, which warns that the gadgets at the same time “collect extensive data in children's private spaces” including voice recordings, transcripts and “behavioral data.”
Common Sense says no child under 5 years of age should be near an AI toy and that parents should be cautious when it comes to 6-to-12-year-olds.
“We still lack meaningful child safeguards for AI," says Common Sense founder and boss James Steyer, contrasting the lack of protections with the “rigorous” safety and suitability tests that other toys are put through before being approved for sale. – dpa/Tribune News Service
