Video: What Parents in China See in A.I. Toys

This video of a girl crying over her broken A.I. chatbot went viral in China. Xiaozhi A.I. is powered by artificial intelligence and it can have long conversations with six-year-old Shisan Hu. The gadget and similar chatbot toys are part of a multi-billion dollar A.I. toy industry in China that’s expected to rapidly grow. What is a black hole? Black hole is — Some of these talkative toys are making their way to the U.S., where parents have raised concerns about chatbots and young children engaging in inappropriate conversations. However, in China, many parents like Zelei Hu are embracing chatbot toys. The father said his daughter is an only child, and he decided to buy Xiaozhi A.I. so she would have a companion. So in the control panel, Hu went to the character profile section and wrote out the way he wanted the toy to interact with Shisan. So the father told the device to focus on teaching English and astronomy. Hu said he considers the chatbot toy a family member. For Shisan, Xiaozhi A.I. isn’t a toy. The father said one of the best things about the device is that it has taken away a major distraction. After a month of talking to the chatbot everyday, it broke. Hu said seeing his daughter become so emotional made him concerned that she was becoming too attached. Eventually, the father decided to repair the toy because he said his attitude towards A.I. technology is shifting.