Mattel's New Baby Monitor Uses AI To Soothe Babies and Lawmakers Aren't Happy About It (washingtonpost.com)

Mattel has a new kid-focused smart hub called Aristotle, which can switch on a night light if it hears a baby crying to soothe the child (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source). The device is also designed to keep changing its activities, even to the point where it can help a preteen with homework, learning about the child along the way. Given the privacy concerns, lawmakers are worried that the always-on device could build an "in-depth profile of children and their family." Jezebel reports: The $299 Aristotle is similar in spirit to the Amazon Echo, only the scope of its features is much broader -- and scarier. Last week, Senator Ed Markey and Representative Joe Barton sent a letter to Mattel CEO Margaret Giorgiadis about their issues with the tablet, which tracks things like kids' eating and sleeping habits when they're young, and adapts to answering their questions about long division and sex or whatever as they grow up. According to nabi, the Mattel brand that developed the device, the Aristotle is meant to "provide parents with a platform that simplifies parenting, while helping them nurture, teach, and protect their young ones." Not everyone is on board. But Markey and Barton aren't the only ones squicked by Aristotle's capabilities. Buzzfeed reports that privacy experts, parents and child psychologists are also concerned that the device "encourages babies to form bonds with inanimate objects and use information it collects for targeted advertising," so much so that a petition has been launched to prevent it from going to market.

Comments

Re:Funny

[DarkOx]

Because adults are presumed to be experienced and rational decision makers. (not always true but a free society sorta requires some degree of this).

If you say "ok google, how long should my penis be" and the response is "according to penisPumpsRUs women prefer a length of 11 inches or more" As an adult you'd question the source, and you'd probably question how reasonable that statement can be based on other experience.

If your 8 year old asks that questions and gets that response...Well the outcome might not be what you'd want as a parent. The fact is we probably don't want a generation of people raised by search results. If the use of television as a baby sitter is any indication parents and teachers will grow complacent and leave kids to be monitored by these devices, and likely won't do much checking up on how those interactions go...

I don't have a policy proposal here, or an opinion about what should or should not be done, but I do understand the concern.