AI toys like Gabbo are marketed as educational companions, holding conversations, sparking creativity, and adapting to a child’s interests. Mattel, Inc. is partnering with OpenAI to bring more of these toys to market.
Sam Altman has said ChatGPT will “remember past conversations and get to know your life.” FMI described this as cradle-to-grave profiles, and toys could be the first building blocks.
For all companies, the implications are massive:
• Access to consumer preferences starting from early childhood
• Data that evolves with a person across every stage of life
• The ability to shape behaviour before brand loyalty exists
AI toys will inevitably sell. But the concern is the data they collect.
From the moment a child picks up a toy, data can be collected, packaged, and traded across industries. Lifelong profiles are quietly built, often without parents realizing how much of their child’s life is being tracked.