That’s No Groove: Musician Grimes and OpenAI Launch Plush Toy with AI Inside

A new line of generative AI that interacts with children was launched Thursday by San Francisco-based Curio, and along for the ride came music superstar, AI enthusiast and voice of cyberpunk 2077's Lizzy Wizzy, Grimes.

“As a parent, I don't want my kids in front of screens and I'm too busy,” Grimes said in a Curio explainer video. “So we created some toys Gabo, Grok and Grimm.”

Curio, which was launched in February by CEO Misha Salley and chief toymaker Sam Eaton, said the toys are designed for children ages 3 to 12 and sell for $99. Grimes, a Curio investor and consultant, will also voice Grok's character. While one of the AI-powered toys shares its name with Elon Musk's xAI generator, the two are completely unrelated.

Adding to the mystery surrounding Grimes' involvement with the Curio startup, she and Elon, who share three children, now individually own an AI venture called “Groc,” blurring the lines between their professional and personal relationship, adding another wrinkle to the already unusual. relationship.

In fact, the Curio Grok is powered by xAI rival and creator of ChatGPIT, OpenAI.

“By integrating AI with the toys, kids (and adults!) can have full conversations with Grok, Gabo, and Grimm (yes, safety comes first and it's safe!) to explore their imaginations and practice their interactions, so to speak,” a Curio spokesperson told Decrypt in an email.

According to Curio, the collaboration with Grimes was in response to a Twitter conversation between Grimes and the tech Ron.

“I really feel like this is the first step in reducing screen time as much as humanly possible,” Grimes said. “I think when you take the screens out of it, the human brain tends to work a lot better, and people aren't stuck in a constant state of dopamine that is crippling in other areas of their lives. “

Coined by science legend Robert Heinlein in his 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land,” Grok means ‘to understand', which may explain its popularity among chatbot developers.

In November, Musk announced the launch of Grok on Twitter. Musk's xAI Grok says it will have “real-time knowledge of the world” thanks to its connection to Twitter's data stream.

Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took their rivalry to the next level by using the xAI chatbot to trade insults with OpenAI's flagship AI model, ChatGPT, after the launch of Grok.

A history of two brands

Although Musk's Grok was released before the Curio toy, a search of trademark documents in the US Patent and Trademark Office database shows that xAI and Curio both own the “Grok” trademarks.

According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, Curio filed its trademark application with Grok on September 12, 2023, and it was updated to “live” on October 2. Musk xAI later submitted two applications to Grok, one on October 23 and another on November 7, 2023, with conditions updated to “live” on October 27 and November 10, respectively.

Notably, Musk announced the name of xAI's chatbot on November 3rd, and the first users were given access to Grok on November 5th. Grimes' Grok was announced yesterday. In trademark litigation, public use of a trademark is one of the key criteria for establishing (or arguing) validity.

The two companies' trademarks, however, cannot directly conflict.

In the filing, Curio's Grok is listed as an electronic learning toy, including plush, talking toys and novelty items that are “in the nature of artificial intelligence.” Musk Grok, on the other hand, is listed as a computer and downloadable software for artificial speech and text.

AI and children

Curio isn't the first company to connect kids with generative AI. Amazon announced a new explore with Alexa in October that provides personalized and educational feedback for kids.

Although AI toys are sure to enter their homes for the holidays, experts and policymakers warn that AI can be a source of harm and abuse. According to a report published by the Center for the Prevention of Digital Hate in August, artificial AI tools created “harmful content”, including text and images related to eating disorders, 41% of the time.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, has made a big move into artificial intelligence and was sued in 34 states in October, alleging that the company exploits children through Facebook and Instagram, and that the social networking sites pose a risk to children's mental health.

As AI chatbots become more common, psychologists warn that children may become too attached to the technology.

“Kids can develop a deep connection with inanimate objects like a teddy bear – now you have this device that gives you exactly what you want – because AI will be amazing at knowing what you want to hear and giving it to you.” Psychologist and executive director Banu Kellner previously told Decrypt.

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.