Artificial intelligence (AI) toys are on the rise this Christmas.

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Families, be warned.

As with smartphone technology, sold to families as inevitable and educational, there are harms and exaggerated claims of benefits with these products.

The toys, from dolls and action figures to kids' robots, have a chatbot embedded in them.

They use artificial intelligence to mimic human characteristics and emotions, acting like a friend or trusted companion. And they are marketed to children as young as infants.

Marketers claim AI toys are safe and beneficial for learning, but have not been assessed by independent researchers.

The evidence that is emerging is that artificial intelligence can undermine children's healthy development and pose big risks for kids.

Here's how, based on advice issued by the not-for-profit organisation Fairplay, and supported by more than 100 experts and child-focused organisations around the world.

Equipped with friendly, caring voices and promising to be "trustworthy", AI toys take advantage of young children, who naturally believe that friendly, caring voices can be trusted.

AI toys may shape children to trust corporate-made machines in the same way they would caregivers and blur the line between real and manufactured.

They do what a social companion chatbot does for adults. While used for mental health, they can also cause addiction and harm to real-life intimate........

© Canberra Times