Does the AI chatbot packaged inside a cute looking stuffed animal offer a viable alternative to screen time for kids?
This is how companies selling these AI-powered children's peers sell them, but Amanda Hes in the New York Times has some reservations. She tells of a demonstration that Grem, one of the offerings from startup Curio, tried to bond with her. (Curio also sells stuffed animals named Grok, which do not have a clear connection to chatbots owned by Elon Musk.)
Hess wrote that this was when he knew, “I wouldn't introduce Grem to my children.” When she spoke to the chatbot, she was convinced that it was “less upgrades to a teddy bear that's not lively.”
She also argues that while these talking toys may move children away from tablets and TV screens, it is in their mobile phone that they truly communicate with.
Hess reports that he ultimately let her kids play with Grem, but only after she removes the voice box and hides it. They still spoke to it and played the game with it. After that, they were ready for some TVs.