Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

AI-Powered Teddy Bears for Kids Are Here, and Experts Say They Could Do More Harm Than Good

Ethicists warn that always-on, sycophantic AI companions could quietly replace real-world social learning with engineered attention loops.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

It seems ethically dubious that anyone should have access to AI chatbots, considering how easily they can warp someone’s perception of reality to such a degree that they cause harm to themselves and those around them. It seems flagrantly irresponsible to disguise such incredible mind-warping power in a cute and cuddly teddy bear for kids.

It’s all part of the ongoing debate encapsulated by a new essay in The Conversation, written by researchers from Curtin University and Deakin University in Australia, as ethicists debate AI-integrated toys like an AI-powered teddy bear named “ChattyBear.”

Are AI-Powered Teddy Bears for Kids Really That Dangerous?

Teddy bears can’t........

© Vice