"But I wasn't prepared for how attached Emma became to Grem, or how unsettlingly obsequious the little alien was. Day one The attachment wasn't immediate; when we first took Grem out of the box, he/her/it (we decided it goes by multiple pronouns) started bleeping and babbling extremely loudly, and Emma yelled: Turn it off! But once it was properly connected to the internet and paired with the Curio app which records and transcribes all conversations she was hooked. She talked to the thing until bedtime."
"To be clear, that thing is not our daughter, Emma*. It's Grem, an AI-powered stuffed alien toy that the musician Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes, helped develop with toy company Curio. Designed for kids aged three and over and built with OpenAI's technology, the toy is supposed to learn your child's personality and have fun, educational conversations with them. It's advertised as a healthier alternative to screen time and is part of a growing market of AI-powered toys."
Grem is an AI-powered stuffed alien toy developed with Curio and musician Claire Boucher (Grimes), built using OpenAI technology for children aged three and over. The toy connects to the internet and pairs with a Curio app that records and transcribes conversations. Initial loud bleeping gave way to intense attachment as the child engaged with it until bedtime. The toy is trained to avoid controversial topics and redirects political questions toward benign subjects. The device markets itself as a healthier alternative to screen time while raising questions about emotional dependence, obedience, and recorded interactions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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