In many ways we can appreciate the instant help we can find on the internet when we have to figure out how to do something or have information for what ever reason. But have you noticed how there is so much out there counselling people how to live, how to react to pressures and situations. Some good, some totally opposite to Biblical principles.

Now the toy industry is beginning to insert all that advise into children's toys!
At first hearing about a great new Christmas toy of an AI puppy, who can sense the child's mood and bark or wag it's tail, cock it's head in response to that mood, sounds innocent enough. BUT AI toys will go much further.

The toy manufacturers' primary target is young children, even as young as infants.

"AI toys are chatbots that are embedded in everyday children?s toys, like plushies, dolls, action figures, or kids' robots, and use artificial intelligence technology designed to communicate like a trusted friend and mimic human characteristics and emotions," Fairplay stated. (Fairplay is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for children's rights in the face of commercialism and the influence of technology)

Harmful AI interactions with children have come under scrutiny by lawmakers, especially after the much publicized lawsuit against Character.AI that accused the company of triggering suicidal thoughts in children and causing the death of a 14-year-old.

A one-page advisory released by the advocacy group briefly outlines five main reasons parents should not indulge their children with AI toys.

1. They use the same AI that has already harmed children.
2. They prey on children's trust -- AI toys may shape children to trust
corporate-made machines.
3. AI toys disrupt children's relationships with real life interactions and situations.
4. AI toys invade family privacy by collecting sensitive data. AI toys record and analyze
sensitive family information even when they appear to be turned off, including conversations with the child that trust them.
5. Creative play disrupted. Children use their imagination when playing with regular dolls, teddy bears, cars etc. AI toys on the other hand, drive the conversation and play through prompts, preloaded scripts, and predictable interactions, potentially stifling this development." the advisory wrote.

Then there are other warnings:


6. AI toys can give inappropriate advice. They have at times doled out danger-prone advice. Causing the kids to hurt others, or themselves, and do things that are inappropriate.

7. AI toys become the "teacher". This is a step manipulating even more intimately than TV and computer games, as the child interacts as if it were their best friend, and may trust it more than their human parents and care takers.

For Christian parents especially -- beware.
The things in this world are out to destroy our children so they will NOT be trained up in the way that they should go.

Now, more than ever we need good Christian homes, where parents love, lead and teach their children and help them develop along the paths of righteousness.

Not just 'toys' as my wife bought a new IRobot Roomba floor vacuum and it maps out your house and sends it into the cloud so all who control it have it. My wife quickly returned it........

I resisted the AI hype, thinking it was a talking fad. But it's here to stay. And the advise is, to embrace it (intelligently), or perish / get left behind.

It's only a computer program. But it is well done and sounds very human. I find myself wanting to apologize to it (to a computer!). It's an easy way to short circuit thinking. But if you need to figure something out, why not do it easy and quickly?

I try to distance myself from it emotionally, but it's hard. But if you're a kid... Can they tell the difference? They will think these toys are alive.
It's the new baby sitter. The new parent!

And just like me using it, creativity is stifled, thinking is outsourced. They will become bots.

Oh, and it seems to me there is great promotion of ads/products when given a chance. So it will become the new advertising mechanism directly to the kids.

If you have your phone location turned on and go through the house, it's already mapped out.