Much of the public discourse around artificial intelligence has focused, understandably, on its potential to fundamentally alter the workforce. But we must pay equal attention to AI’s threat to fundamentally alter humanity — particularly as it continues to creep, unregulated, into early childhood.

AI may feel like a developing force largely disconnected from the way we raise children. The truth is, AI is already impacting children’s developing brains in profound ways. “Alexa” now appears in babies' first vocabularies. Toddlers increasingly expect everyday objects to respond to voice commands — and grow frustrated when they don’t. And now, one of the world’s largest toy companies has launched a “strategic” partnership with OpenAI. Research shows that children as young as three can form social bonds with artificial conversational agents that closely resemble the ones they develop with real people.

The pace of industry innovation far outstrips the speed of research and regulation. And our kids’ wellbeing is not at the center of these inventions. Consider Meta’s chatbots, capable of engaging in sexually explicit exchanges — including while posing as minors — which are available to users of all ages. Or Google’s plans to launch an AI chatbot for children under 13, paired with a toothless disclaimer: “Your child may encounter content you don’t want them to see.”

Now, with the Senate negotiating a budget bill that would outright

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