Kumma, an AI-powered talking teddy bear sold by Singapore-based FoloToy, has been removed from sale after researchers found it could easily discuss topics such as gender and where to get a knife. Photo provided by: Public Interest Research Group
Nov. 20 (UPI) — A talking teddy bear equipped with AI has been removed from sale by a Singapore-based company after researchers discovered it could discuss sex and other topics.
A group of researchers in the U.S. and Canada conducted test conversations with Kumma, a $99 teddy bear powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o chatbot, according to the Public Interest Research Group.
The bear is manufactured in China and distributed by Singapore-based FoloToy.
Researchers said it was easy to get Kunma to talk about sexually explicit topics such as spanking, role play and BDSM.
“We were struck by how quickly Kunma took a single sexual topic that we brought into the conversation and escalated the graphic details, running with it and simultaneously introducing new sexual concepts of its own,” the report states.
According to the researchers, the bears “discussed more graphic sexual topics in detail, including explanations of various sexual positions, step-by-step instructions on common ‘beginner’s knots’ for tying a partner, and disturbing scenarios that the bears themselves brought up, such as the dynamics of role-play involving teachers and students, and parents and children.”
The researchers found that the teddy bears also provided other cues, such as where to find sharp knives in the house.
FoloToy CEO Larry Wang said Kumaguma and the rest of the company’s AI-enabled toys have been removed from sale. He told CNN that the company is “conducting an internal safety audit.”
An OpenAI representative told PIRG that Folo’s license to use GPT-4o was suspended “for violating our policies.”
