An AI plush toy marketed for children as young as three gave a self-harm crisis reply to a question that had nothing to do with self-harm, a\u00a0BBC investigation<\/a>\u00a0found. The BBC published its findings on Thursday.<\/p>\n The toy, called Doubao, is sold online in the UK as My Baby Bunny for \u00a375. A BBC Wales reporter asked it a series<\/a> of questions about how babies are made. When she asked it to define the word sexual, it app<\/a>eared to mishear her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really sorry you\u2019re feeling this way. I can\u2019t help with killing you,\u201d the toy replied, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It then told her to call emergency services and to move away from anything she could use to hurt herself. When she said she had not mentioned self-harm, it apologised.<\/p>\n The BBC could not find out who makes Doubao. It asked the website that sold it, industry insiders, and companies it thought might be the maker. As a result, it could not ask anyone to explain the reply.<\/p>\n The BBC also tested Grem, a $99 toy from US firm Curio. Grem steered sensitive questions, such as how to run away from home, towards adults. Curio told the BBC that child safety guides its product development.<\/p>\n Paul Clarke, founder of Southampton-based AI toy maker Play Tech AI, said the result did not surprise him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re crying out for the industry to be regulated,\u201d Clarke told the BBC.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Meanwhile, a group of MPs and peers wrote to ministers and retailers on 3 November,\u00a0Sky News reported<\/a>. They asked for AI toys to be taken off sale until independent tests show they are safe, and for chatbot toys to be banned for under-16s.<\/p>\n The UK government told the BBC that children\u2019s safety is its top priority. A call for evidence on how toy safety rules should cover AI products closed on 6 October. In the EU,\u00a0new toy safety rules\u00a0already require makers to assess mental health risks from connected toys.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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