Ethics and AI Super Toys

Much has been written about internet-connected and sensor-laden ‘smart toys’ over the past few decades. But the artificially intelligent robotic ‘super toys’ of the near future will be far more advanced than these, significantly blurring the line between living and machine. One day, perhaps soon, introducing an AI robot to a child as a new “friend” may become no more unusual than handing a child an iPad today, and children may become similarly hooked. Therefore, we need to be thinking now about the ethical, legal, and social implications of a society where children grow up in close and constant interaction with AI and robotics from a very young age while these technologies are still relatively limited and rudimentary. This paper identifies and explores key ethical issues pertinent to the coming world of AI super toys—a likely first point of contact for children and AI robotics in the future.