Several startups are introducing AI-powered stuffed animals designed to be companions for young kids. It’s the battle for next-gen playtime.
The Big Play: The techno plushies are being positioned as an alternative to screen time — a way for tots to be entertained while parents are busy. While the effects of too much screen time for kids is well-documented, trading Bluey and Peppa Pig for chatbot-led play could open an even bigger can of worms.
Behind The Plush: Curio’s “Grem” — which The NYT describes as “a fuzzy cube styled like an anime alien” designed by the musician Grimes — is the perfect example of the new AI stuffed animal.
Grem has a Wi-Fi-enabled voice box powered by an LLM that can speak with kids as young as three, acting as their always-present “sidekick,” per co-founder Sam Eaton.
The LLM is designed to bond with a child, inspire playtime, answer questions, and avoid harmful topics.
Every conversation Grem has with a kid is transcribed and sent to their guardian, letting parents keep tabs — and even shape the exchange by feeding the AI prompts about what their kid likes or new rules to follow.
Curio stresses that all conversations between children and chatbots are private, but its privacy policy admits that total security can’t be guaranteed (like all things AI).
The Future: Grem joins a lineup of other teddy bears, dragons, robots, and other toys with AI built in. While startups dominate the space, Mattel recently announced a partnership with OpenAI that could soon turn the most popular toys into plastic-and-plush chatbots… potentially ones that could even interact with each other.
We’re guessing everyone forgot the movie Small Soldiers.
Prediction: With parents already split on screen time, expect a new divide over AI plushies — which could even affect future play dates.
The post Curio’s Grem Brings AI To Stuffed Animals appeared first on TheFutureParty.