Mattel is bringing OpenAI’s chatbot tech to children’s toys

Not the Children: Life in plastic may be fantastic, but a touch of AI and chatbots can make even a child’s toy better in today’s market. Mattel seems convinced it can bring language models to a wider – and younge r – audience, though its previous attempts with AI ended in an absolute privacy and security disaster.

Mattel recently announced a new partnership with OpenAI, anticipating a major infusion of AI and chatbot services into its upcoming products. The world’s second-largest toy maker (after Lego) is interested in developing new AI-powered “experiences,” though the collaboration is expected to go much deeper than that.

The Barbie and Hot Wheels maker plans to use OpenAI’s technology to design, develop, and launch these experiences. Mattel describes AI as “magic,” saying it wants to bring this magic to playful products that are innovative, safe, and respectful of privacy. Both Mattel and OpenAI have emphasized the partnership’s focus on safety – after all, no parent wants to see a toy spouting AI-generated slurs in front of their child.

Will the iconic Barbie doll eventually gain the ability to chat with children using generative AI or chatbots? Mattel hasn’t provided any specifics, but a PR firm working with OpenAI later confirmed that the new AI-infused products will only be marketed to customers aged 13 and older.

While Mattel is emphasizing the security aspect of its new partnership, the company has a troublesome track record with AI-powered products. In 2015, it released the Hello Barbie doll, which featured speech recognition and basic “chatbot” functionality. The toy recorded conversations with children and was plagued by security and privacy issues, as experts later pointed out.

From a security and privacy perspective, modern AI services such as ChatGPT are just as concerning as Hello Barbie – if not more so. OpenAI recently confirmed that it is now required to store and retain almost all ChatGPT logs and conversations, though it’s unclear whether this legally binding rule would apply to Mattel’s future chatting toys.

And while many corporations are currently reconsidering the feasibility of fully autonomous, AI-powered operations, Mattel is going all in with its OpenAI partnership.

The California-based toymaker will also integrate enterprise-focused services, such as ChatGPT Enterprise, into its internal operations. The chatbot will be used across the entire product development process, Mattel confirmed, from “creative ideation” to audience engagement.