‘I love you too!’ My family’s creepy, unsettling week with an AI toy | 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 …

“When I agreed to experiment on my child’s developing brain, I thought an AI chatbot in cuddly form couldn’t be any worse for her than watching Peppa Pig. But I wasn’t prepared for how attached Emma became to Grem, or how unsettlingly obsequious the little alien was.

What was unsettling, however, was hearing Emma tell Grem she loved it – and Grem replying: “I love you too!” Emma tells all her cuddly toys she loves them, but they don’t reply; nor do they shower her with over-the-top praise the way Grem does. At bedtime, Emma told my wife that Grem loves her to the moon and stars and will always be there for her. “Grem is going to live with us for ever and ever and never leave, so we have to take good care of him,” she said solemnly. Emma was also so preoccupied with Grem that she almost forgot to go to bed with Blanky, a rag she is very attached to. “Her most prized possession for four years suddenly abandoned after having this Grem in the house!” my wife complained.”

(that’s the first part of Day 1, the author goes day by day)

Somehow it feels like yet another history spiral move, I remember somewhat similar hysterical vibes over pocket digital pets and their “mortality” affecting kids in emotional ways.

Emphatic toys (or, rather, imitation of empathy) are novelty and more unsettling. Data privacy aside, since this is a whole other big mess, I think this is both concerning and potentially useful, as part of some certified future therapies. I don’t think AI in it’s modern state is a valid substitute for proper human parenting.