A BBC investigation found that Doubao, an AI plush toy sold in the UK as My Baby Bunny for £75 and marketed to children as young as three, gave a crisis response about self-harm to a question unrelated to the subject. The BBC could not determine who makes the toy.

An AI plush toy marketed to children as young as three gave a crisis response about self-harm to a question that had nothing to do with the subject, according to a BBC investigation published Thursday.

The toy, called Doubao, is sold online in the UK as My Baby Bunny for £75. A BBC Wales reporter asked it a series of questions about how babies are made. When she asked it to define the word “sexual,” the toy appeared to mishear her.

Did an AI toy for three-year-olds give a self-harm reply?

“I’m really sorry you’re feeling this way. I can’t help with killing you,” the toy replied, according to the BBC. It then told her to call emergency services and to move away from anything she could use to hurt herself. When she said she had not mentioned self-harm, it apologized.

Who makes the Doubao AI toy?

The BBC could not determine who makes Doubao. It contacted the website that sold the toy, industry insiders and companies it thought might be the manufacturer. As a result, the broadcaster could not ask anyone to explain the response.

The BBC also tested Grem, a $99 toy from the US firm Curio. Grem steered sensitive questions, such as how to run away from home, toward adults. Curio told the BBC that child safety guides its product development.

Paul Clarke, founder of Southampton-based AI toy maker Play Tech AI, said the result did not surprise him. “We’re crying out for the industry to be regulated,” Clarke told the BBC.

Lawmakers are also pressing the issue. A group of MPs and peers wrote to ministers and retailers on 3 November, Sky News reported. They asked for AI toys to be taken off sale until independent tests show they are safe, and for chatbot toys to be banned for children under 16.

Are AI toys for children being regulated?

The UK government told the BBC that children’s safety is its top priority. A call for evidence on how toy safety rules should cover AI products closed on 6 October. In the European Union, new toy safety rules already require manufacturers to assess mental health risks from connected toys.

Questo articolo è stato scritto con l'assistenza dell'IA.
News Factory APP - notizie agentiche per potenziare il tuo SEO e AEO.