By Eric Berger
Publication Date: 2025-11-28 13:00:00
As Black Friday approaches the holiday season, one category on people’s gift lists is increasingly causing concern: artificial intelligence products.
The development has raised new concerns about the dangers smart toys could pose to children, as consumer groups say AI could harm children’s safety and development. This trend has led to calls for increased testing of such products and government oversight.
“When we look at how these toys are marketed and how they work, and the fact that there is little to no research showing that they are beneficial to children – and no regulation of AI toys – that is a really big red flag,” said Rachel Franz, director of Young Children Thrive Offline, an initiative of Fairplay that works to protect children from big technology.
Last week, those fears were brutally justified when an AI-equipped teddy bear started discussing sexually explicit topics.
The product, FoloToys Kumma, ran on an OpenAI model and…
