Parents Integrate Generative AI Into Preschooler Education and Play

Parents are increasingly integrating generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, into the lives of preschool-age children for education, entertainment, and imaginative play. Users employ these tools to create personalized stories and simulated conversations with fictional or professional figures, such as astronauts, to engage young children.

OpenAI is expanding this reach through a strategic collaboration with toy maker Mattel. Additionally, startups such as Curio and Geni are producing AI-powered toys and voice boxes for plush animals. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, has noted that children respond positively to voice mode, though he acknowledged the necessity of establishing new societal guardrails for these technologies.

Academic experts warn that these tools may be profit-driven alternatives to human creativity and traditional books. Hsieh Ying-xuan of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Andrew McStay of Bangor University caution that large language models can create an illusion of empathy. They argue that children may anthropomorphize the software, developing emotional attachments to non-sentient entities and experiencing a homogenization of their creative expression.