Welcome to Tech in Asia’s daily newsletter, your essential dose of Asia’s tech and startup buzz. Not yet a subscriber? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.
In focus
- AI-powered toys can’t handle kids just yet
- The AI race goes public with Zhipu’s IPO
- AI’s not just in toys – it’s in surgery rooms too
Hello reader,
Growing up as a shy only child, my yellow Game Boy Color was my best friend. I just load it up with my copy of Pokémon Silver, and I’m entertained for hours on end.
In those days, the worst thing my toy could do was run out of batteries.
Now, we have AI-powered teddy bears that can chat with children in real time, as my colleague Glenn notes in today’s featured story. As one Chinese toymaker learned the hard way, teaching a teddy bear to talk, especially to children, involves more than just a pull-string.
FoloToy had to yank its Kumma bear off the shelves last November after it went rogue, discussing sexually explicit topics with kids during testing.
Despite this PR nightmare, the industry isn’t slowing down. The AI toy market is set to hit US$14 billion by 2030, as the cost of production has dropped significantly in just months.
This opportunity is why startups like Olli and myFirst are building agents specifically tuned to not give toddlers questionable life advice.
It’s timely to note that one of my friends in Canada, who’s expecting a baby soon, is flying to the Philippines this week for a wedding we’re attending. But even if these AI toys are available here now, I think I’ll still be sticking to the good, old-fashioned stuffed animal as a gift.
Have you or any parent you know tried out these AI toys? Please drop an email here to let us know how it went.
If things were all fine and dandy, I might reconsider gifting one to my friend.
Meanwhile, another AI product looking to prove its worth is Zhipu AI, with the Chinese LLM developer going public in Hong Kong. Its shares already rose as much as 35% ahead of its debut, but the pressure to meet investor demand is on.
Miguel Cordon, journalist
Top Story
Talking teddy bears highlight the challenges of AI toys
From our archives
Master the champion mindset
Trending news
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
