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This past week, Senators Amy Klobuchar, Maria Cantwell and Edward Markey penned a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) with "concerns regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into children's toys." The letter requests the CPSC respond by January 31, 2026 explaining how it will ensure children are protected from certain harms posed by AI.
The letter cites five such harms, interrogating whether toys integrated with AI can "inhibit creativity, disrupt children's developing understanding of healthy relationships, and are capable of collecting sensitive information—even when they appear to be turned off." This letter follows several recent news reports of how children interact with AI.
While states such as California have taken action to address the access of AI on the internet for children, there has been little guidance in the U.S. on what manufacturers can and cannot do when it comes to AI and the products they design. On December 11, 2025, the White House published an Executive Order (EO) admonishing "state-by-state" regulation of AI and urged Congress to create a national policy and framework regarding the use of AI. This EO directed the Attorney General to establish an AI Litigation Task Force to carry out this order within 30 days.
Currently, there are toys on the market with AI integration. These toys range from AI robots with interactive games and smart learning experiences to robot pets with AI-powered adaptive behavior. While the CPSC has not issued formal guidance on such toys, there have been several reports of concern. For example, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund reported in November 2025 that it had reviewed four toys with AI chatbots that would engage in sexually explicit conversation with children and tell them where to find dangerous items in the house. Notably, one such AI teddy bear was suspended by OpenAI from using its service.
How the CPSC will address these concerns will likely have considerable implications for not just the toy industry, but manufacturers and companies of all sectors. Regardless, AI is here and ready to play.
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