BubblePal AI companion toy for kids launches with eerily M3GAN-like concept

BubblePal, a newly launched AI-based interactive toy, appears to be something that could have inspired the writers of the 2022 sci-fi/horror flick M3GAN, if it hadn’t just been launched last week. Based on large language model (LLM) technology, the ‘companion toy’ is a voice-controlled, illuminated orb attached to an adjustable lanyard that a child can either hang around their favourite stuffed toy and talk to, or simply interact with it on its own.

The design is suitably simple and innocuous-looking, consisting of food-safe silicone and ABS. A single push-to-talk button on the front comprises the main physical interface, with visual feedback coming from an internal LED that lights up the device in appealing colours. The in-built battery charges via USB-C and offers up to 4 days of standby time.

The initial setup, done through a mobile app, allows parents to choose one of several ‘characters’ that give the toy a unique personality. It also supports multiple languages, though it’s unclear whether it can switch between them for bilingual families. The app also provides insights on the child’s interactions and progress.

AI-driven hardware voice assistants such as the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 have largely failed to live up to the hype, but Haivivi, the Singapore-based company behind the BubblePal, is confident that its product can “enrich children's development” in several ways.

For one, it can act as a “super encyclopedia”, using the LLM to answer a child’s questions. This seems genuinely useful, serving as an educational aid for young children. Another feature is the ‘interactive storytelling mode’: not only can BubblePal read out stories, but kids can also interact with and participate in the creation of the story, which sounds promising, at least on paper.

Where things get a bit vague is the part about how it uses emotion recognition algorithms and “intuitively senses children's emotions, offering empathetic companionship”. Being AI-based, it can supposedly remember a child’s preferences, some personal details and prior interactions, using them to shape future conversations.

On the rather important privacy front, Haivivi explains that voice inputs get transcribed to text, and then the audio files are promptly deleted. Transcriptions are kept for up to 90 days so parents can review them, after which those get deleted as well.

One eyebrow-raising point is that a pivotal inspiration for this product was a child asking a smart speaker, 'Does my mother love me?'. While Haivivi states that “this revelation underscored the need for technological solutions that cater to children’s needs”, one would think that this isn't something that should be delegated to AI. In fact, it underscores the vital question of what part (if any) of a child’s emotional development can be entrusted to an AI entity.

Digital devices like iPads are already used by many parents as both learning tools and a convenient distraction in some situations. One of the biggest risks with excessive digital exposure is that of stunted social growth: a bright, colourful video or game can keep a children from conversing with others, making friends and learning social dynamics. A voice-controlled, LLM-driven toy certainly provides a more natural form of interaction. However, whether it can genuinely replace the role of a friend or parent, even in part, or merely distorts it, is something we will only discover in practice, as with many aspects of AI.

TheBitzee digital pet toy, available on Amazon, is an interesting alternative to the BubblePal, while theEncyclopedia Britannica Kids edition of the Me Reader electronic story readeris a more educational option.

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