Best Types of AI Toys for Kids

AI toys have taken the toy market by storm, and for good reason. For the first time ever, toys can hold a real conversation and actually get smarter over time. But with a rapidly growing market comes a lot of noise, and not every product lives up to what's on the box.

This guide breaks down everything a parent needs to know, from the best AI toys available to how to make a confident, informed purchase.

What are AI toys?

AI toys are devices powered by AI that entertain or assist children. Unlike the older electronic toys that only have one or two phrases, AI toys are much smarter than that. They can not only listen, but also respond with an AI-powered response. Although it changes depending on the type of toy, most AI toys combine these three features.

1. NLP (Natural Language Processing): This allows for the toy to understand and process what a child said or wrote. NLP is able to take a question or statement and formulate a response appropriate for the conversation. Early NLP in AIs had trouble understanding context and parts of complex human communication like idioms. If you have used AI for a while, you may have seen AI get better at generating responses over the years. The same development has happened with kids’ toys as well.
2. Personalization and Adaptive Learning: AI toys use something called personalization. This allows for the AI to remember past conversations and tailor each experience for every kid. This can be especially useful during learning and education. An AI toy or assistant can speak down to a kid's level to raise comprehension. For example, it can raise or lower a math problem’s difficulty depending on what it remembers the child’s level was. This is one of the many reasons AI is taking over education, as it can lead to less frustration during study times.
3. Cloud Integration: AI toys are almost always connected to a main server via wifi or bluetooth. This provides a unique advantage compared to other toys, because it can actually become smarter over time. Since it's connected to an LLM (Large Language Model) the toy can be updated and upgraded wirelessly. For the first time ever, toys can actually be more useful than when you bought them.

Different types of AI toys

Although they share a wide variety of features, AI toys do differ depending on their designed function. We dive into more depth in our other article (here), but the main categories come down to smart plushes, coding and STEM robots, robotic pets, and interactive robot companions. Each one built around a completely different experience.

Parent’s Buying Guide

With so many options on the market, finding the right AI toy can feel overwhelming. This buying guide is designed to cut through the noise and give you a straightforward framework for making the right call for your child.

Consider the Age

Before doing any research or considering a purchase, first take into account the age of the child. This is very important as you wouldn’t want to purchase something too complex for a younger kid, or something too immature for an older kid.

Ages 3-5: At this age AI plushes like Curio’s lineup are perfect. They are durable and simplistic so as to not overcomplicate things, but also possess the capability to improve language and speech abilities.

At this age, language and speech are developing and studies have shown that children can improve speech by talking to an AI. When looking to purchase for kids in this age range, keep it simplistic and warm like a plush. Toys like Poppy or Lingo are perfect for this range.

Ages 6-8: This is usually the starting point where you begin to introduce beginner coding robots and robotic pets. Kids still need some parental involvement to get started, but can follow the on screen instructions from there.

However, be sure not to rule out AI plushes just yet, coding robots usually rely on screens. If you want to avoid more screen time, you can look into purchasing a plush as kids will still find enjoyment from them at these ages. Toys like The Visitor or Springer are perfect for this range.

Ages 9-12: At this age kids are able to handle the more complicated coding robots, but still find enjoyment from robotic pets and plushes. At this age range you can definitely look into the more age appropriate AI toys such as Linus, as they could get bored from the more simplistic toys.

Ages 13+: Unfortunately at this age the AI toys can feel immature to early teenagers. However, there are still advanced coding robots that may still pique the interest of these kids. AI can still play a part in a kid's education even if they move on from AI toys.

Important factor: You know your child better than anyone else, make decisions based on their maturity level and behavior. A shy 7 year old would do better with a completely different toy than a curious 12 year old, temperament is a key factor when making these decisions.

Price vs Value Breakdown

Although we won’t dive into specific products, we’ll go over a general list of what features you can expect at each price point. It's important to remember that these are just features, privacy policy and data are also an important factor.

Under $50: At this price point, the word AI is likely just slapped onto a regular electronic toy. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just keep that in mind. Around this price point, it's likely an electronic toy with a button and a pre-generated response.

These toys can be enjoyable, especially for younger children, but these toys lack depth and a true sense of AI. These toys can be a nice little novelty, but set expectations low.

$50-$150: This is where the real AI toys come into play. Around this price point you can expect a real conversational AI, with a good amount of depth. Toys in this category can engage in open-ended conversations, and in some cases, like Curio’s toys, they can even add a layer of personalization. This is where the high quality engaging plushes thrive, usually they include a pretty high build quality to survive the day-to-day of play.

Also coding robots at this price point can provide genuinely impressive educational value. Robotic pets also improve significantly, and they can oftentimes be autonomous or especially expressive. This is the perfect price range, where you can get a very capable product without crossing into premium territory.

$150+: The technology at this price point is the best of the best, however the purchase requires far more consideration than cheaper toys. You get extremely sophisticated AI models, and almost all of them have deep machine learning and personalization.

This price point is usually overkill, especially for younger kids who might get the same enjoyment out of a $100 toy, compared to a $500 toy. However, it could be worth it if you have a child that is extremely interested in technology, development and coding. This price point requires the greatest amount of research and consideration, it may not be worth it for you.

Red Flags to look out for

Vague or Hard to Find Privacy Policies

Any toy that captures a child’s voice must have a clearly stated privacy policy. You shouldn’t have to scour multiple pages just to find it either, if you do, take that as a red flag. Also make sure the language in the policy is clear and not intentionally vague.

Here at Curio we take privacy very seriously, children’s audio is deleted after being processed into a transcript. The transcripts are then deleted automatically after 90 days. Parents can also request data deletion at any time through the app.

Subscription Paywall on Basic Features

Some AI toy companies are priced fairly up front, but then leave their main features locked behind a paywall. There's nothing wrong with a subscription based service, but basic features should be always accessible on a base model.

All of Curio’s toys come with baseline features and do not require a subscription to use them.

Double down on the Research

Once you have settled on a toy you’d like to purchase, be sure to thoroughly research the toy, especially if it's more expensive. Watch and read reviews on the toy, especially on long-term use, and be sure to double check the privacy policy. Some AI toy companies claim they can do a lot, but the reviews say otherwise.

AI toy checklist

Before making any purchases, go ahead and go through this simple checklist. Use this checklist to make sure you covered all your bases.

Your Child

• I've matched the toy category to my child's age
• I've considered my child's temperament, not just their age
• I've thought about whether my child tends to lose interest in toys quickly
• I've chosen a toy that matches my child's interests, not just what looks impressive

Privacy and Safety

• I've read the manufacturer's privacy policy
• I know what voice or usage data the toy collects and stores
• I know whether recordings are used to train AI models
• The toy has a parental dashboard or app-based controls
• I can request deletion of my child's data

Manufacturer Information

• The manufacturer is an established, active company
• The companion app has been updated within the last 6 months
• The app has positive, recent reviews in the app store
• There is accessible customer support if something goes wrong

Costs and Ongoing Expenses

• I understand the full upfront cost
• I know whether a subscription is required to unlock core features
• I've factored in the cost of batteries or a charging setup

Practical Considerations

• I've checked durability reviews, not just unboxing reviews
• I know whether the toy requires Wi-Fi to function
• I understand what happens to the toy if the company discontinues the app
• I've set expectations with my child about what the toy is and how it works

Future of AI Toys

AI toys are relatively new when it comes to the world of toys. For the first time in history we have toys that can talk back, and they are only getting smarter and more capable. Not only is it getting smarter, but it is also getting cheaper. We could get to a point where a $50 AI toy is comparable to a $150 toy nowadays. Another big change is government regulation. While Curio will likely remain unaffected, other companies may suffer, especially those with vague or shady practices when it comes to children’s data.

Conclusion / TL;DR

The best toy your child will ever own is one that meets them exactly where they are. AI toys, at their best, do just that, they speak at a child's level, respond to who that child actually is, and grow alongside them in ways no static toy can. The industry is moving fast, the products are getting better, and for parents who go in informed, there has never been a better time to find something genuinely worth buying. You now have everything you need to do exactly that.