The development of AI in today’s age is undoubtedly fascinating yet extremely controversial, considering how practical it is as well as how damaging it can be to society. Besides the loss of jobs and the churning out of ‘AI slop’ by corporations, Inception actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has taken a stance against AI, specifically against electronic toys for children. In a video shared by Gordon-Levitt on Facebook, the celebrity explains why he believes parents should avoid buying AI toys for their kids this year’s Christmas and beyond.
The Dark Knight Rises alum points out that the whole corporate push of “engagement optimization” for children is nothing more than tech speak for sucking up an individual’s attention span to the max. We’re already familiar with the whole attention span dilemma of today’s digital culture, with plenty of people, both young and old, being unable to focus properly anymore due to the age of smartphone apps, social media, and short-form entertainment.
However, with AI toys with chatbot-like features, Gordon-Levitt warns the internet that the consequences of having a child interact with such toys are much worse for their development.
AI Toys Are Designed to Make Children Underdeveloped Addicts, Gordon-Levitt Argues
Speaking with the author of The Anxious Generation about the effects of AI toys on children, the Looper actor says that these products are “made to hook your kid and turn them into a lifelong addict.” He continues, explaining how a connection with a chatbot toy can stifle a child’s growth regarding connections with other people, along with personal development. “These AI toys will imitate those human interactions, but they’re fake,” he warns.
Needless to say, everything Gordon-Levitt has said isn’t anything new, but hearing the dangers about AI toys from someone with a big following has given many online users hope.
“He is a good egg,” praises a Redditor. “Thank you to this man for using his voice and his platform to demonstrate true leadership. Happy holidays to all,” remarks another. “Hope more celebrities follow his example and speak up about tech’s impact on kids,” chimes in a third. While the majority are happy Joseph Gordon-Levitt is speaking out about this, some still feel that he’s not addressing the main issue. As one Facebook commenter puts it, “the problem is the parenting.”
The user argues that the addiction has always varied with families, whether it’s junk food, television, video games, or, in this case, AI toys. But the main takeaway should be that parents should be accountable for what they give their children to play with. It’s not the toy’s responsibility, per se. Still, Gordon-Levitt did strike up a good dialogue with his post; hopefully, more well-known people with platforms will follow suit.
