What kind of toys will Mattel make with OpenAI – and should we be worried?

Mattel is teaming up with OpenAI to bring artificial intelligence into its toys – raising fresh concerns about child safety, surveillance, and the future of play.

What would it be like if Barbie talked back? Or if a Hot Wheels car told you that it's good weather to go out for a spin?

A bit eerie, right? And what's more, these toys would be talking to kids, and possibly becoming closer companions than their peers and parents.

I mean, no one knows at this stage what the Mattel and OpenAI integration is going to serve up, but that makes it even more Black Mirror-esque and ominous.

AI in the toybox

A bit like how Amazon's Alexa can lurk in the background, listening in, as you innocently request ABBA’s Dancing Queen while you do the dishes, a Mattel-OpenAI toy could have similar implications, but with kids.

These toys would undoubtedly blur the lines between play and surveillance, as your Master of the Universe becomes a master manipulator.

Even if the target consumer is 13+ due to OpenAI’s age restrictions, behavior profiling will be on the loose.

If toys become subscription services or cloud-connected companions, are children being roped into lifelong relationships with tech brands?

Playtime triggers privacy panic

It’s not the first time that this has happened with Mattel either. Despite being a decade ago, in 2015, their WiFi-connected Barbie eventually had to be pulled from the shelves due to sustained criticism.

And even if OpenAI has an age 13+ policy, how would enforcement work in practice? Even if Mattel complies, these toys may still end up in younger hands.

Play may become less imagination-driven and more reactive. The scary part is that if parents are not in on the act, then that’s a ticking time bomb.