The Dystopian Future of Toys

The dystopian future of toys.

As I strolled the exhibit halls of robots and tech at CES last week, I was struck by an overall sense of the push toward AI embedding into everything...but particularly into toys. 

Imagine ChatGPT's voice and camera mode tucked inside robotic stuffed animals across millions of homes. That is the future that is being painted.

Childhood is a crucial developmental stage for attachment formation. Young ones are learning to explore the world in correlation with feeling supported by a secure base. That secure base is traditionally a parent or caregiver. But consider this...what if these robotic AI-infused, talking toys begin playing the role of a secure base? 

Marketed as "in your life, in your heart", these toys are one facet of how AI is shifting the relational bedrock of society. 

Do kids become highly attached to their toys? Yes! 
Is this a bad thing? No! 
But the difference is that traditionally, toys do not have a voice that speaks out of the collective intelligence of the internet, and toys do not have cameras that record and interact with children. This is an unprecedented exposure at a vulnerable stage of development, likely without much oversight or supervision. 

Are we ready, on a societal level, for this type of "ambient care" to move into millions of homes?