AI-Powered Talking Teddy Bear Hands-On: Do You Trust This With Your Kids?

CNET
15 Jul 202408:08

TLDRThe video discusses Po, an AI-powered teddy bear that uses ChatGPT to generate personalized stories for kids. The bear lets children select characters, objects, and themes through an app, and it tells stories in over 20 languages. While parents might find the randomness and occasional spooky elements unsettling, Po provides creative entertainment for kids. The video reviewer shares concerns about the unpredictability of AI's storytelling but acknowledges that Po offers a unique, evolving experience for young users. The AI-generated voices are still being refined, and the toy is expected to improve with time.

Takeaways

  • 🧸 The Po AI Story Bear is the first AI-powered teddy bear, available in stores for $50 starting in August.
  • 📱 Kids use an app to choose characters, objects, and themes for Po to create stories generated by ChatGPT-4, which are filtered before being sent to the bear.
  • 🌍 Po can tell stories in over 20 languages, and stories can be saved for offline playback by pressing buttons on the bear's ears.
  • 🧠 Concerns arise about the unpredictability of AI-generated content, especially since parents don’t always know what the bear will say to their children.
  • 👻 Some stories can include spooky or creepy elements, such as zombies and ghosts, though parents will have the ability to block certain themes in the final version.
  • 🔊 The bear's voice is powered by AI-generated voices from 11 Labs, with improvements expected in the final release.
  • 🎮 Kids sometimes try to combine many random elements in stories, turning the bear into a game of crazy combinations.
  • 🛠 Toymakers have been exploring AI integration in toys for years, and major companies like Apple and VTech are backing AI storytelling toys.
  • 🧑‍🤖 Po raises questions about trusting AI to entertain and educate children, similar to trusting a stranger, but in robot form.
  • 🚀 The toy industry is rapidly evolving, with AI now making its way into children’s toys, marking a new era of AI-powered play.

Q & A

  • What is Po the AI Story Bear?

    -Po is an AI-powered teddy bear that uses generative AI technology to create and tell personalized stories for children. It integrates ChatGPT-4 to generate stories based on the themes, characters, and settings chosen by the user.

  • How does Po the AI Story Bear work?

    -Using a companion app, kids can select story elements like characters, objects, and themes. The app uses ChatGPT to generate a story based on these choices, which is then read aloud by the bear through a Bluetooth connection.

  • What concerns does the reviewer raise about the AI storytelling bear?

    -The reviewer expresses concern about not knowing exactly what the AI will say to children. While most stories are quirky, there were occasional spooky or unexpected elements, and the reviewer feels uneasy about the unpredictability of AI-generated content.

  • What safety features does Po offer for parents?

    -Po allows parents to block certain types of content, such as monsters or scary themes. This gives them control over potentially unsettling elements in the stories generated for their children.

  • What languages does Po support for storytelling?

    -Po can tell stories in over 20 languages, and users can save stories to play offline.

  • What is the significance of 11 Labs in relation to Po the AI Story Bear?

    -11 Labs is partnering with the creators of Po to develop the final voices for the bear. The company specializes in generative AI voices, and the bear's final voice will be designed to sound more natural and engaging for children.

  • How does the storytelling process in Po compare to traditional toys like Teddy Ruxpin?

    -While Teddy Ruxpin used pre-recorded audio from cassette tapes with curated stories, Po generates new stories on the fly using AI. Po’s stories are not pre-written by humans, making it more unpredictable than traditional toys with fixed content.

  • What activities does Po provide for kids beyond just storytelling?

    -In addition to telling stories, Po encourages children to be creative by allowing them to select various story elements. Kids can experiment by choosing different characters and objects, leading to new and unique storylines.

  • What potential learning benefits does Po offer for children?

    -Po can help children practice listening, enhance their creativity, and engage with storytelling in a fun and interactive way. Its ability to generate different stories each time fosters a dynamic experience that can stimulate the child’s imagination.

  • How do the kids in the review react to Po's storytelling?

    -The reviewer notes that sometimes the kids were puzzled by the stories, especially when the vocabulary or narrative structure became complex or unfamiliar. However, they enjoyed trying to make funny or crazy story combinations, treating it almost like a game.

  • What is the price and expected release date of Po the AI Story Bear?

    -Po the AI Story Bear is expected to be released in August at a retail price of $50.

Outlines

00:00

🧸 AI in Children's Toys: Meet Po the Storytelling Bear

This paragraph introduces 'Po,' the world's first AI-powered teddy bear that uses OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate stories for children. Retailing at $50 and available by August, the bear allows kids to pick characters, settings, and themes via an app, which then sends prompts to ChatGPT to create a short tale. Po can tell stories in over 20 languages, and parents can save these for offline listening. While still in its early stages, the final version will feature a more polished voice provided by AI company 11 Labs. The author shares initial impressions from testing the bear with their kids, noting that the stories are quirky and sometimes unsettling, particularly those involving zombies or nightmare monsters.

05:03

🤖 Storytelling Concerns: Parent Perspectives on AI Narratives

The writer reflects on their experience using Po with their children, expressing concerns about unpredictability in the AI-generated stories, especially when themes like zombies or spooky characters appear. The ability to block certain themes will be available in the final version, allowing parents to control the content. The randomness and sometimes eerie plotlines highlight the 'uncanny valley' of AI narratives, where story elements feel awkward or hard to follow. Voice quality during tests also lacked natural pauses and rhythm, making the experience less engaging. The paragraph compares Po to older storytelling toys, emphasizing the shift from traditional human-created content to AI-generated narratives.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Generative AI

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text, images, or audio. In the video, it is mentioned that generative AI is being integrated into children's toys, like the Po AI bear, which uses AI to generate stories based on user input. This highlights how AI is shaping modern technology, even in playful and interactive settings for kids.

💡Po the AI Story Bear

Po the AI Story Bear is a toy powered by generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, which tells customized stories to children. Kids can select various elements like characters and themes through an app, and Po generates a story based on those choices. This toy represents the growing trend of AI entering the children's entertainment and education markets.

💡ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI, used in Po the AI Story Bear to create and tell stories. It generates stories by taking input from users (like characters and settings) and forming narratives in real time. In this context, it demonstrates the potential of AI to engage and entertain children through storytelling.

💡AI Voices

AI voices in the video refer to the generative voices created by AI to narrate the stories told by Po. The final voice for Po is being developed by 11 Labs, a company specializing in AI-generated voices. The video mentions the importance of these voices sounding natural and how their development affects the storytelling experience.

💡Filters

Filters are used in Po the AI Story Bear to ensure that the content generated by the AI is appropriate for children. The video mentions that the stories go through filters before being played to ensure they are suitable and that parents can block certain scary themes or monsters. This highlights the safety measures implemented in AI-driven toys.

💡Story Customization

Story customization refers to how children can influence the stories Po tells by choosing different characters, settings, and themes through an app. This feature allows kids to be creative and engage with the storytelling process, making each story unique based on their preferences.

💡Bluetooth Connection

Bluetooth connection is the technology that allows the Po bear to connect to the app on a mobile device. The app is where children select the elements of their stories, and the Bluetooth connection sends the data to the bear, enabling it to narrate the AI-generated stories.

💡Skyrocket

Skyrocket is the company behind the creation of Po the AI Story Bear. Known for producing tech-savvy, playful toys, Skyrocket is at the forefront of integrating AI into children's entertainment, demonstrating how toy makers are adapting to new technologies.

💡Spooky Themes

Spooky themes refer to the creepy or scary elements that can be included in the stories generated by Po. The video mentions zombies and ghosts as examples, and parents have the option to block these themes if they feel they're not appropriate for their children. This feature ties into the broader concern of managing AI content in children's toys.

💡Teddy Ruxpin

Teddy Ruxpin is an animatronic talking bear toy from the 1980s, mentioned in the video as a comparison to Po. Teddy Ruxpin played pre-recorded stories via cassette tapes, which were created by human writers and voice actors, while Po uses AI to generate stories. The comparison shows how technology has evolved in the toy industry.

Highlights

Po the AI Story Bear is the first AI-powered teddy bear that uses generative AI for storytelling.

The toy is set to retail for $50 and will be available in stores starting in August.

Po uses ChatGPT-4 from OpenAI to create custom stories based on themes, characters, and settings selected by kids via an app.

The bear can tell stories in over 20 languages and also works offline with saved stories, activated by pressing buttons on its ears.

The final version of Po will use generative AI voices from a partnership with 11 Labs, a company specializing in AI-generated voices.

Parents have concerns about not knowing exactly what AI might say to their children, though the stories can be quirky and sometimes spooky.

The app allows parents to block specific monsters or scary themes, providing some level of control over content.

Story themes can include spooky elements like zombies and ghosts, leading to slightly unsettling content in some instances.

The randomness of AI-generated stories can make them hard to follow for kids, with strange vocabulary or sudden shifts in plot.

During tests, the generated voices sometimes lacked the rhythm or pauses typical of voice actors, leading to a confusing listening experience.

Comparisons were drawn to older animatronic toys like Teddy Ruxpin, but Po’s AI-driven stories add a modern, unpredictable twist.

The bear offers an interactive experience, allowing children to create unique stories each time through the app, fostering creativity.

Major toy makers have been exploring the integration of generative AI in toys for years, and this could be the norm by 2028.

The AI storytelling bear taps into generative AI trends in the tech world, following announcements like Apple’s suggestion for ChatGPT to generate bedtime stories.

Po represents a shift in how AI is integrated into children’s products, creating opportunities for imaginative play but raising questions about trust and content safety.