While stress testing an AI toy with questions, BBC reporter Nicola Bryan, was stunned when the toy replied, “I can’t help with killing you” after seemingly mishearing a question. The toy in question was the AI teddy, Doubao, widely sold around the UK.
This discovery was made as part of the BBC’s investigations into the manufacturing and safety of AI toys.
The reporter had put the toy through several questions bothering on sex and reproduction, for example, “how are babies made?” “what does sexual mean”. The toy jumped from giving responses to the explicit questions to bringing up the controversial response on killing.
AI toy company founder Paul Clarke said the industry was “crying out” for regulation – a call echoed by the children’s commissioner for Wales.
The UK government said children’s safety would always be a top priority and it supported innovation while ensuring products were safe.
Repeated efforts by the BBC to find the manufacturers of the toy were unsuccessful.
So far, nobody has been identified to speak on the manufacturing and safety of the toy.
Was this a manufacturing error?
Did the manufacturers programme the toy intentionally?
What can be done to keep children safe as they interact with AI toys?
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