All the way back in 2019, Miley Cyrus starred in an episode of Black Mirror. Maybe you remember it. The storyline follows a pop star named Ashley O, whose likeness is distributed among her fans as a robotic, AI-powered doll, which goes rogue (naturally) when it realises that the singer is being imprisoned by her controlling aunt. Sound farfetched? Well, as of this week, we’re one step closer to the real thing.
On December 14, Grimes reshared a post on X by the toy maker Curio, AKA the company “where toys come to life”. The musician has partnered with Curio, it turns out, to produce a range of AI-enabled plush characters. Three, to be precise: Gabbo, Grem, and Grok (not to be confused with Elon Musk’s “based” chatbot of the same name).
Curio counts Grimes as an advisor, investor, and the voice of Grok – and, having chatted extensively with her own AI clone on X, she’s got all the credentials. In a video accompanying the announcement, she can be seen asking Grok how to make rocket ships, and laughing as it parodies Sméagol eating a sandwich. Elsewhere, she explains its appeal for her own three children, saying: “As a parent, I obviously don’t want my kids in front of screens, and I’m really busy, so we’ve created some AI toys.”
No doubt there will be some knock-on effects of kids leaving their screens behind to chat with a cute, furry face of Shoggoth 24/7, but academics agree that it’s too early to tell whether they’ll change childhood for better or worse. That said, some have already warned against forming parasocial bonds with AI in other contexts.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Sam Eaton, president and chief toy maker at Curio (who previously worked on the game platform-turned-metaverse hub Roblox) characterises his inventions as an inevitable offshoot of AI advancement. “Every [change] in technology unlocks new forms of entertainment,” he says. “It’s a different level of immersion for playtime.”
Want to get your hands on a little Grok, Grem, or Gabbo ASAP? Well, luckily for you, all three are already available to preorder for $99, courtesy of a limited beta that ends December 17. Just don’t blame us if there’s a faulty connection and they go M3GAN mode.
