Thread 11533216

Some people will say this is horrible but could you imagine how much fun it would be having a stuffed animal having full conversations with you and what kind of bonds you could have?

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/16/ai-powered-stuffed-animals-are-coming-for-your-kids/

AI powered "companion" robots have been around for years and it's no big deal, just box the AI in with enough restrictions (don't just plug the toy into chatGPT) and it's fine.

>>11533216 (OP)
Kids already have full conversations with stuffed animals, using their imaginations. This isn't cool, it's sad. Adults have completely forgotten how children think and how they want to play.

So far, this has proven undesirable to children, and thank fuck for that. This guy gave his daughter one, and she had no interest in engaging with the AI features, instead making it a hat and wanting the AI disabled. https://twistedsifter.com/2025/05/self-proclaimed-ai-evangelist-buys-his-young-daughter-a-200-ai-assisted-dinosaur-but-she-disables-the-ai-and-uses-it-like-an-old-fashioned-doll/

But even beyond that - There are now quite a few cases of mental breakdowns and even suicides driven by people spending too much time talking to these digital sycophants. The LAST thing we should be doing is trying to put them in the hands of children.

>>11541744
It is like a weird inversion of complains about Furbies.

>>11541744
well it could be useful for adults if not for children, there are many lonely people

>>11542208
Talking to AI is not a healthy substitute for companionship, and has been shown to encourage further self-isolation.

We should be working toward a society with MORE social connections, not attempting to fill the void with paid services and products that try to act human.

Don't let these companies sell you poison under the guise of a cure. Tech companies have made billions dismantling the social fabric of the world, and they're turning around and selling you a solution that will make it worse. Get to know your neighbors. Join a rec league. Pick up a hobby that gets you talking to others. Tell someone on the train you like their outfit. Call your mom.