Mattel adding ChatGPT to toys would cause ‘real damage’ to children, experts warn
Grim warning over Barbie maker’s bid to add ChatGPT to toys
- Mattel, the maker of Barbie, announced a collaboration with OpenAI to integrate AI chatbots like ChatGPT into future toy products.
- Child welfare experts and advocacy groups, such as Public Citizen, have urged Mattel not to proceed, citing risks of inflicting damage on children's cognitive and social development.
- Concerns include the potential for AI-powered toys to undermine social development and interfere with children's ability to form peer relationships.
- The partnership emerges amid broader worries about generative AI's impact on mental health, including the spread of misinformation and a phenomenon known as 'chatbot psychosis'.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company was implementing safety measures to protect vulnerable users, though he acknowledged difficulties in reaching users on the verge of a psychotic break.