Blackburn, Blumenthal Join Groups Concerned About AI Toys
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Wednesday joined groups concerned about children’s toy companies using AI technology to collect and store data.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Privacy Daily provides accurate coverage of newsworthy developments in data protection legislation, regulation, litigation, and enforcement for privacy professionals responsible for ensuring effective organizational data privacy compliance.
Tuesday, the organization Fairplay asked Mattel to abandon plans to release a toy with OpenAI (see 2512160061).
“Many of these toys are not offering interactive play, but instead are exposing children to inappropriate content, privacy risks, and manipulative engagement tactics,” Blackburn and Blumenthal wrote in letters to CEOs of Mattel, Little Learners Toys, Miko, Curio Interactive, FoloToy and Keyi Robot. “These aren’t theoretical worst-case scenarios; they are documented failures uncovered through real-world testing, and they must be addressed.”
Companies are collecting children’s data that is highly sought after by criminals, they added: “These products are often designed to have free-flowing conversations with children who, without knowing better, will share troves of personal information. This data collection comes with risk as companies store and sell the data they collect on children.”