Latest news with #HelloBarbie
Vox
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vox
What we learned the last time we put AI in a Barbie
is a senior technology correspondent at Vox and author of the User Friendly newsletter. He's spent 15 years covering the intersection of technology, culture, and politics at places like The Atlantic, Gizmodo, and Vice. The first big Christmas gift I remember getting was an animatronic bear named Teddy Ruxpin. Thanks to a cassette tape hidden in his belly, he could talk, his eyes and mouth moving in a famously creepy way. Later that winter, when I was sick with a fever, I hallucinated that the toy came alive and attacked me. I never saw Teddy again after that. These days, toys can do a lot more than tell pre-recorded stories. So-called smart toys, many of which are internet-connected, are a $20 billion business, and increasingly, they're artificially intelligent. Mattel and OpenAI announced a partnership last week to 'bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences with an emphasis on innovation, privacy, and safety.' They're planning to announce their first product later this year. It's unclear what this might entail: maybe it's Barbies that can gossip with you or a self-driving Hot Wheels or something we haven't even dreamed up yet. All of this makes me nervous as a young parent. I already knew that generative AI was invading classrooms and filling the internet with slop, but I wasn't expecting it to take over the toy aisle so soon. After all, we're already struggling to figure out how to manage our kids' relationship with the technology in their lives, from screen time to the uncanny videos made to trick YouTube's algorithm. As it seeps further into our society, a growing number of people are using AI without even realizing it. So you can't blame me for being anxious about how children might encounter the technology in unexpected ways. User Friendly A weekly dispatch to make sure tech is working for you, instead of overwhelming you. From senior technology correspondent Adam Clark Estes. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. AI-powered toys are not as new as you might think. They're not even new for Mattel. A decade ago, the toy giant released Hello Barbie, an internet-connected doll that listened to kids and used AI to respond (think Siri, not ChatGPT). It was essentially the same concept as Teddy Ruxpin except with a lot of digital vulnerabilities. Naturally, security researchers took notice and hacked Hello Barbie, revealing that bad actors could steal personal information or eavesdrop on conversations children were having with the doll. Mattel discontinued the doll in 2017. Hello Barbie later made an appearance in the Barbie movie alongside other poor toy choices like Sugar Daddy Ken and Pregnant Midge. Despite this cautionary tale, companies keep trying to make talking AI toys a thing. One more recent example comes from the mind of Grimes, of all people. Inspired by the son she shares with Elon Musk, the musician teamed up with a company called Curio to create a stuffed rocket ship named Grok. The embodied chatbot is supposed to learn about whomever is playing with it and become a personalized companion. In real life, Grok is frustratingly dumb, according to Katie Arnold-Ratliff, a mom and writer who chronicled her son's experience with the toy in New York magazine last year. 'What captures the hearts and minds of young children is often what they create for themselves with the inanimate artifacts.' 'When it started remembering things about my kid, and speaking back to him, he was amazed,' Arnold-Ratliff told me this week. 'That awe very quickly dissipated once it was like, why are you talking about this completely unrelated thing.' Grok is still somewhere in their house, she said, but it has been turned off for quite some time. It turns out Arnold-Ratliff's son is more interested in inanimate objects that he can make come alive with his imagination. Sure, he'll play Mario on his Nintendo Switch for long stretches of time, but afterward, he'll draw his own worlds on paper. He'll even create digital versions of new levels on Super Mario Maker but get frustrated when the software can't keep up with his imagination. This is a miraculous paradox when it comes to kids and certain tech-powered toys. Although an adult might think that, for instance, AI could prompt kids to think about play in new ways or become an innovative new imaginary friend, kids tend to prefer imagining on their own terms. That's according to Naomi Aguiar, PhD, a researcher at Oregon State University who studies how children form relationships with AI chatbots. 'There's nothing wrong with children's imaginations. They work fine,' Aguiar said. 'What captures the hearts and minds of young children is often what they create for themselves with the inanimate artifacts.' Aguiar did concede that AI can be a powerful educational tool for kids, especially for those who don't have access to resources or who may be on the spectrum. 'If we focus on solutions to specific problems and train the models to do that, it could open up a lot of opportunities,' she told me. Putting AI in a Barbie, however, is not solving a particular problem. None of this means that I'm allergic to the concept of tech-centric toys for kids. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ahead of the Mattel-OpenAI announcement, I'd started researching toys my kid might like that incorporated some technology — enough to make them especially interesting and engaging — but stopped short of triggering dystopian nightmares. Much to my surprise, what I found was something of a mashup between completely inanimate objects and that terrifying Teddy Ruxpin. One of these toys is called a Toniebox, a screen-free audio player with little figurines called Tonies that you put atop the box to unlock content — namely songs, stories, and so forth. Licenses abound, so you can buy a Tonie that corresponds with pretty much any popular kids character, like Disney princesses or Paddington Bear. There are also so-called Creative Tonies that allow you to upload your own audio. For instance, you could ostensibly have a stand-in for a grandparent to enable story time, even if Grandma and Grandpa are not physically there. The whole experience is mediated with an app that the kid never needs to see. There's also the Yoto Player and the Yoto Mini, which are similar to the Toniebox but use cards instead of figurines and have a very low-resolution display that can show a clock or a pixelated character. Because it has that display, kids can also create custom icons to show up when they record their own content onto a card. Yoto has been beta-testing an AI-powered story generator, which is designed for parents to create custom stories for their kids. If those audio players are geared toward story time, a company called Nex makes a video game console for playtime. It's called Nex Playground, and kids use their movements to control it. This happens thanks to a camera equipped with machine-learning capabilities to recognize your movements and expressions. So imagine playing Wii Sports, but instead of throwing the Nintendo controller through your TV screen when you're trying to bowl, you make the bowling motion to play the game. Nex makes most of its games in-house, and all of the computation needed for its gameplay happens on the device itself. That means there's no data being collected or sent to the cloud. Once you download a game, you don't even have to be online to play it. 'We envision toys that can just grow in a way where they become a new way to interact with technology for kids and evolve into something that's much deeper, much more meaningful for families,' David Lee, CEO of Nex, said when I asked him about the future of toys. It will be a few more years before I have to worry about my kid's interactions with a video game console, much less an AI-powered Barbie — and certainly not Teddy Ruxpin. But she loves her Toniebox. She talks to the figurines and lines them up alongside each other, like a little posse. I have no idea what she's imagining them saying back. In a way, that's the point.
American Military News
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- American Military News
AI toys and games? Barbie maker Mattel teams up with OpenAI to create new products
Your next toy or game may be able to converse with you. Mattel, the El Segundo toy maker behind Barbie and Hot Wheels, said Thursday that it's teaming up with OpenAI, which created popular chatbot ChatGPT, to 'bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences.' The companies are planning to unveil their first product later this year but haven't said what it will be. A person familiar with the collaboration said it will be for people at least 13 years old. While Mattel's products are popular among kids, the company also markets toys to adults. The joint effort between the toy company and major player in artificial intelligence shows how AI is permeating every part of life, including playtime. 'AI has the power to expand on that mission and broaden the reach of our brands in new and exciting ways,' said Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer at Mattel, in a statement. 'Our work with OpenAI will enable us to leverage new technologies to solidify our leadership in innovation and reimagine new forms of play.' Mattel will have to tackle data privacy and security concerns that come with selling kids products connected to the latest technology. In 2015, Mattel worked with San Francisco startup ToyTalk on a doll known as Hello Barbie. The doll connected to the internet through Wi-Fi and could chat with children and even tell jokes. The toy maker also released Hello DreamHouse, which lit up parts of the house in response to voice commands. The recording of voice data required for the toys sparked concerns from security experts and privacy advocates. They worried about data breaches and the potential hackers could use the toys to talk to kids. Both toys were discontinued. Mattel said in its news release that it will 'emphasize safety, privacy, and security in the products and experiences that come to market.' Mattel also makes popular games such as Uno and Apples to Apples. The company sells a game called Pictionary vs. AI in which players draw pictures and AI guesses what they are. Tech companies are integrating AI assistants into other products including smart glasses. OpenAI announced in May that it was working with Jony Ive, a former Apple executive known for designing iconic products such as the iPhone, to release new AI products. Mattel workers are also using AI to create toys. The toy maker is deploying ChatGPT software to help with tasks such as product development. 'With OpenAI, Mattel has access to an advanced set of AI capabilities alongside new tools to enable productivity, creativity, and company-wide transformation at scale,' said Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI, in a statement. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Star
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
AI toys and games? Barbie maker Mattel teams up with OpenAI to create new products
Your next toy or game may be able to converse with you. Mattel, the El Segundo toy maker behind Barbie and Hot Wheels, said on June 12 that it's teaming up with OpenAI, which created popular chatbot ChatGPT, to 'bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences'. The companies are planning to unveil their first product later this year but haven't said what it will be. A person familiar with the collaboration said it will be for people at least 13 years old. While Mattel's products are popular among kids, the company also markets toys to adults. The joint effort between the toy company and major player in artificial intelligence shows how AI is permeating every part of life, including playtime. ALSO READ: When the teddy bear is watching: Smart toys and their pitfalls 'AI has the power to expand on that mission and broaden the reach of our brands in new and exciting ways,' said Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer at Mattel, in a statement. 'Our work with OpenAI will enable us to leverage new technologies to solidify our leadership in innovation and reimagine new forms of play.' Mattel will have to tackle data privacy and security concerns that come with selling kids products connected to the latest technology. In 2015, Mattel worked with San Francisco startup ToyTalk on a doll known as Hello Barbie. The doll connected to the Internet through WiFi and could chat with children and even tell jokes. The toy maker also released Hello DreamHouse, which lit up parts of the house in response to voice commands. The recording of voice data required for the toys sparked concerns from security experts and privacy advocates. They worried about data breaches and the potential hackers could use the toys to talk to kids. Both toys were discontinued. ALSO READ: Privacy not included: How creepy is your connected Christmas present? Mattel said in its news release that it will 'emphasise safety, privacy, and security in the products and experiences that come to market'. Mattel also makes popular games such as Uno and Apples to Apples. The company sells a game called Pictionary vs AI in which players draw pictures and AI guesses what they are. Tech companies are integrating AI assistants into other products including smart glasses. OpenAI announced in May that it was working with Jony Ive, a former Apple executive known for designing iconic products such as the iPhone, to release new AI products. Mattel workers are also using AI to create toys. The toy maker is deploying ChatGPT software to help with tasks such as product development. 'With OpenAI, Mattel has access to an advanced set of AI capabilities alongside new tools to enable productivity, creativity, and company-wide transformation at scale, ' said Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI, in a statement. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Los Angeles Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
AI toys and games? Barbie maker Mattel teams up with OpenAI to create new products
Your next toy or game may be able to converse with you. Mattel, the El Segundo toy maker behind Barbie and Hot Wheels, said Thursday that it's teaming up with OpenAI, which created popular chatbot ChatGPT, to 'bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences.' The companies are planning to unveil their first product later this year but haven't said what it will be. A person familiar with the collaboration said it will be for people at least 13 years old. While Mattel's products are popular among kids, the company also markets toys to adults. The joint effort between the toy company and major player in artificial intelligence shows how AI is permeating every part of life, including playtime. 'AI has the power to expand on that mission and broaden the reach of our brands in new and exciting ways,' said Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer at Mattel, in a statement. 'Our work with OpenAI will enable us to leverage new technologies to solidify our leadership in innovation and reimagine new forms of play.' Mattel will have to tackle data privacy and security concerns that come with selling kids products connected to the latest technology. In 2015, Mattel worked with San Francisco startup ToyTalk on a doll known as Hello Barbie. The doll connected to the internet through Wi-Fi and could chat with children and even tell jokes. The toy maker also released Hello DreamHouse, which lit up parts of the house in response to voice commands. The recording of voice data required for the toys sparked concerns from security experts and privacy advocates. They worried about data breaches and the potential hackers could use the toys to talk to kids. Both toys were discontinued. Mattel said in its news release that it will 'emphasize safety, privacy, and security in the products and experiences that come to market.' Mattel also makes popular games such as Uno and Apples to Apples. The company sells a game called Pictionary vs. AI in which players draw pictures and AI guesses what they are. Tech companies are integrating AI assistants into other products including smart glasses. OpenAI announced in May that it was working with Jony Ive, a former Apple executive known for designing iconic products such as the iPhone, to release new AI products. Mattel workers are also using AI to create toys. The toy maker is deploying ChatGPT software to help with tasks such as product development. 'With OpenAI, Mattel has access to an advanced set of AI capabilities alongside new tools to enable productivity, creativity, and company-wide transformation at scale,' said Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI, in a statement.
