AI toys and games? Barbie maker Mattel teams up with OpenAI to create new products

Your adjacent artifact oregon crippled whitethorn beryllium capable to converse with you.

Mattel, the El Segundo artifact shaper down Barbie and Hot Wheels, said Thursday that it’s teaming up with OpenAI, which created fashionable chatbot ChatGPT, to “bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences.”

The companies are readying to unveil their archetypal merchandise aboriginal this twelvemonth but haven’t said what it volition be. A idiosyncratic acquainted with the collaboration said it volition beryllium for radical astatine slightest 13 years old. While Mattel’s products are fashionable among kids, the institution besides markets toys to adults.

The associated effort betwixt the artifact institution and large subordinate successful artificial quality shows however AI is permeating each portion of life, including playtime.

“AI has the powerfulness to grow connected that ngo and broaden the scope of our brands successful caller and breathtaking ways,” said Josh Silverman, main franchise serviceman astatine Mattel, successful a statement. “Our enactment with OpenAI volition alteration america to leverage caller technologies to solidify our enactment successful innovation and reimagine caller forms of play.”

Mattel volition person to tackle information privateness and information concerns that travel with selling kids products connected to the latest technology.

In 2015, Mattel worked with San Francisco startup ToyTalk connected a doll known arsenic Hello Barbie. The doll connected to the net done Wi-Fi and could chat with children and adjacent archer jokes. The artifact shaper besides released Hello DreamHouse, which lit up parts of the location successful effect to dependable commands.

The signaling of dependable information required for the toys sparked concerns from information experts and privateness advocates. They disquieted astir information breaches and the imaginable hackers could usage the toys to speech to kids. Both toys were discontinued.

Mattel said successful its quality merchandise that it volition “emphasize safety, privacy, and information successful the products and experiences that travel to market.”

Mattel besides makes fashionable games specified arsenic Uno and Apples to Apples. The institution sells a crippled called Pictionary vs. AI successful which players gully pictures and AI guesses what they are.

Tech companies are integrating AI assistants into different products including astute glasses. OpenAI announced successful May that it was moving with Jony Ive, a erstwhile Apple enforcement known for designing iconic products specified arsenic the iPhone, to merchandise caller AI products.

Mattel workers are besides utilizing AI to make toys. The artifact shaper is deploying ChatGPT bundle to assistance with tasks specified arsenic merchandise development.

“With OpenAI, Mattel has entree to an precocious acceptable of AI capabilities alongside caller tools to alteration productivity, creativity, and company-wide translation astatine scale,” said Brad Lightcap, main operating serviceman astatine OpenAI, successful a statement.