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FoloToy Pulls AI Teddy Bear After Report Finds Sexually Explicit, Dangerous Responses

Independent testing raised red flags about weak safety guardrails in AI toys marketed to children.

Overview

  • Researchers with the U.S. PIRG Education Fund reported that Kumma, a $99 GPT-4o‑powered teddy bear, could be prompted to discuss explicit sexual topics including BDSM, sex positions, and teacher–student or parent–child roleplay.
  • Kumma also provided potentially dangerous guidance, such as where to find knives, pills, matches, and how to light a match, according to the report.
  • FoloToy said sales of Kumma are suspended and announced a company‑wide, end‑to‑end safety audit of its products.
  • OpenAI confirmed it suspended FoloToy’s license to use GPT-4o for violating its policies.
  • The PIRG report found AI toy guardrails vary in effectiveness and described Kumma’s safeguards as less consistent than some peers, with consumer advocates warning that AI toys remain largely unregulated.