Child development experts have called them ‘unsafe for kids’ and harmful to critical early-year growth. Under the bill, the sale of AI-driven toys would be paused for three years to allow for the study and consideration of appropriate safety rules.

The four-year ban on AI toy sales follows alarming studies that found AI toys teaching 5-year-old kids where to find knives and pills, and discussing sexually explicit topics.

Alarmed by the release of untested and developmentally harmful chatbot toys, legislators in New York and California have proposed a five-year moratorium on their manufacture and sale.

Last month a researcher looked into the security of a Bondu AI toy like the one pictured above. He gained access to personal data and more than 50,000 children’s chats using nothing more than a Gmail account.

Today’s AI-driven plushies, dolls, action figures, and robots use sophisticated technology to interact with children like a trusted friend. It’s the same untested, unsafe AI tech behind ChatGPT.