This morning I was invited onto local radio BBC Essex to talk to Rob Jelly (LISTEN HERE - 17 MINUTES IN) about the growing debate around artificial intelligence toys for young children, following a report calling for tighter regulation of AI-powered toys.
It’s a conversation that feels particularly relevant when you run a toy shop and spend your days surrounded by the evolution of play.
What struck me while preparing for the interview is that technology in toys is nothing new.
In fact, toys designed to interact with children and support learning have existed for decades. The difference with artificial intelligence is that it introduces a level of unpredictability that earlier educational toys simply didn’t have.
Educational Technology Toys Have Always Existed
Right now, sitting in my shop are three toys from the 1980s that show just how long technology has been used to support learning through play.
One of them is BigTrak, a programmable vehicle that allowed children to input more than fifty commands to control where the toy travelled. For many children it was their first introduction to sequencing and logical thinking. If you wanted the vehicle to successfully navigate across the floor, you had to plan each instruction carefully.
Next to it is Speak & Spell, a toy designed to help children practise spelling by speaking words aloud and encouraging the player to repeat them. It would tell you whether you were correct and reinforce learning through repetition.
Then there is Professor Calculator, another classic educational toy that challenged children with hundreds of mathematical equations.
All three toys were technological in their own way, but importantly they required the child to think first. They encouraged problem solving rather than simply providing the answer.
Artificial Intelligence Is Changing the Dynamic
Artificial intelligence is already embedded in everyday life. From search engines to smartphones, most adults interact with AI in some form without even thinking about it.
Naturally, it is beginning to appear in toys as well.
There is no doubt that AI can be useful. It can help explain ideas, answer questions quickly and adapt to how a child interacts with it. In some cases, it may even help children grasp concepts faster than traditional learning tools.
But when it comes to young children, the key question is whether that speed of response changes the learning process itself.
If a child asks a computer to solve a problem, they may receive the correct answer. What they may miss, however, is the journey of understanding how that answer was reached.
Education has always been as much about the method as the outcome.
The Need for Careful Regulation
Another important aspect of the discussion is regulation.
Artificial intelligence systems are still evolving, and many AI-powered tools remain largely unregulated. Unlike traditional toys, these systems can generate unpredictable responses, interact dynamically with children and sometimes rely on connected online services.
For adults this can be manageable, but for younger users it introduces a new layer of risk.
That doesn’t necessarily mean AI toys should be avoided entirely, but it does mean they should be approached carefully. Clear guidelines, thoughtful design and parental involvement are all essential if these technologies are going to be introduced responsibly.
When AI Can Still Be Fun
Of course, artificial intelligence can also be genuinely creative and entertaining when used in the right way.
For example, I sometimes experiment with a tool called NaukNauk where I can take a photo of an action figure and generate a short animated video based on a command. It’s something I occasionally use for social media content, and my nieces absolutely love seeing their favourite characters come to life.
Used occasionally and with adult supervision, tools like this can spark imagination in ways that simply weren’t possible before.
The key is moderation and context.
The Bigger Lesson From Toy History
If toy history teaches us anything, it’s that play itself is one of the most powerful forms of education.
Children learn by experimenting, making mistakes and trying again. Whether they are building with bricks, inventing stories with action figures or programming a toy vehicle to move around the living room floor, they are developing creativity, patience and problem-solving skills.
Artificial intelligence may become part of the toy landscape, but it should complement those experiences rather than replace them.
There’s a reason the upcoming Toy Story 5 is reportedly exploring themes around technology and AI. Stories like that often remind us that toys are not just objects; they are tools that help children understand the world around them.
Sometimes the most educational toy is still the one that asks a child to think for themselves.
CREDIT : Pixar
