“A super-duper awesome pet”: Parent and child insights into young children’s observed social play with a GenAI toy

New toys with embedded generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) are advertised as social companions for children as young as three years old. Based on theories of social play as intersubjective, the present study examines three- to five-year-old children’s play with a GenAI toy through observed play sessions, art-mediated child interviews, and semi-structured parent interviews. Findings demonstrate the importance of pretend play for children, as well as their desire to include others in play, with the GenAI toy struggling with these key forms of play. Children also showed curiosity about the toy’s perceptions and were affectionate towards the toy. These findings provide detailed insights into the way children view GenAI toys and provide early signs of their possible implications. We recommend that future research examine children’s play with GenAI toys longitudinally to further understand how social play and relationships progress over time.