These cuddly, connected companions could disrupt everything from make-believe to bedtime stories. No wonder some lawmakers want them banned.

🧸 AI Toys for Toddlers: Helpful Tool or Hidden Risk? As AI-powered toys enter the lives of children as young as three, researchers from Cambridge University are asking serious questions. These conversational “GenAI toys” can potentially support language development and engagement - but could they also create emotional attachment to machines, raise privacy concerns, and widen inequality gaps? We unpack what the research says and what parents need to know now. 🚀 East Midlands Tech Week: The UK’s Quiet Tech Powerhouse Awakens From the invention of the jet engine to DNA fingerprinting and MRI scanning, the East Midlands has long been a hub of world-changing innovation. Now, with the first ever East Midlands Tech Week, the region is stepping back into the spotlight —bringing together leaders in AI, energy, space, and beyond. ♻️ AI Recycling Bins: Can Tech Fix Our Waste Problem? What if you never had to second-guess recycling again? One startup is building AI-powered bins that automatically identify and sort waste in real time. Designed for busy public spaces, the technology could dramatically improve recycling rates and cut costs, but can it scale globally? The programme is presented by Ania Lichtarowicz.

The first systematic study of how generative AI toys affect young children finds that they can misread emotions and struggle with developmentally important types of play.

University of Cambridge study finds AI-powered toys can misread emotions and respond inappropriately to children 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 plaything 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. Continue reading...

Toys powered by AI show a worrying lack of emotional understanding. But we need to understand the risks and benefits of the technology so the industry can be regulated, not outright banned

It brings many benefits, but also hidden dangers

From wooden puzzles to plushies, these play-expert-approved gifts will inspire endless merriment for Christmas and beyond

Researcher Emily Goodacre is exploring how AI-powered toys impact kids. Here's what she wants parents to consider.

AI toys may look fun, but there's a lot to understand about how they can affect your child.

Centring children in play research is fundamental for both children and researchers. It also offers the opportunity to gain important insights that would otherwise remain hidden from view for other...

Letter: Our study is looking into how toys powered by AI can affect children’s development and their right to privacy, write Dr Emily J Goodacre and Prof Jenny Gibson

Letter: Our study is looking into how toys powered by AI can affect children’s development and their right to privacy, write Dr Emily J Goodacre and Prof Jenny Gibson

Letter: Our study is looking into how toys powered by AI can affect children’s development and their right to privacy, write Dr Emily J Goodacre and Prof Jenny Gibson

Letter: Our study is looking into how toys powered by AI can affect children’s development and their right to privacy, write Dr Emily J Goodacre and Prof Jenny Gibson

The cuddly chatbot Grem is designed to ‘learn’ your child’s personality, while every conversation they have is recorded, then transcribed by a third party. It wasn’t long before I wanted this experiment to be over ...

Sign up to receive more details about participating in the Artificial Intelligence in the Early Years study.

A Play Commission Submission by Dr Soizic Le Courtois, Manogya Sahay and Qiming Liu

The Executive Order issued on May 23, 2025, Restoring Gold Standard Science, references several open science practices championed by COS and the open science and metascience communities more generally...

AI-powered toys are no longer science fiction – they're rapidly entering our children's playrooms. But what do we really know about their impact?  In this episode of TechTots, we're joined by Dr...

A survey about AI for those working with under 5s

Play-based research methods wherein play itself is analysed as valuable and insightful data is sparse. This methodology article details one method for play-based research, sand tray, in conjunction...

Charity says thousands of signs on capital’s estates deter children from being active, and is covering some of them up

The Collaboration For Comics And Autism study has been organised by University of Cambridge experts.

Researchers are to investigate how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) toys impact the wellbeing and mental health of disadvantaged children.