AI toys for young children must be more tightly regulated, say researchers

Mya, three, and her mother, Vicky, playing with the AI toy Gabbo during the University of Cambridge study. Photograph: University of Cambridge faculty of education

It was all going well. Charlotte, five, was chatting with an AI soft toy called Gabbo at a London play centre about her family, her drawing of a heart to represent them and what makes her happy. She even offered a couple of kisses to the £80 toy with a face like a computer screen.

It was when she declared: “Gabbo, I love you”, that the fluent conversation came to an abrupt halt.