Are AI toys a good idea for my toddler?

Are AI toys a good idea for my toddler?

AI-powered toys are heading for this year's Christmas tree and in toy shop aisles right now, but what are they actually doing when your toddler talks to them? Dr Emily Goodacre joins Fiona and Holly to dig into what AI toys, like Miko, mean for a young child's development, what data they might be collecting, and why a toy can't actually manage real social play the way a person can. Covers: AI toys and child development, data and privacy risks in smart toys, and why AI can't replace real social interaction for toddlers. Useful Links: Dr Emily Goodacre’s research [https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/ai-toys-study-play] Pedal Hub [https://www.pedalhub.net] Mattel and OpenAI partnership [https://corporate.mattel.com/news/mattel-and-openai-announce-strategic-collaboration] Report where AI toy went rogue [https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/19/tech/folotoy-kumma-ai-bear-scli-intl] AI Toy Miko [https://miko.ai] Sign up to our newsletter [https://raisinggenerationai.com/newsletters] Find our website at raisinggenerationai.com [http://raisinggenerationai.com] We're also on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/raisinggenerationai/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/raisinggenerationai]. The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!

What is AI doing to my kid's planet?

This week Holly and Fiona get stuck into the topic of the environment, learning that measuring AI’s impact is not quite as simple as it may seem. They’re joined by Dr Kelly Widdicks from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology to talk about how some research suggests that the data centres behind AI have the same carbon footprint as the whole of NYC. But it’s not all bad news as Kelly also explains that there are ways we can use AI for the good of the environment. Useful Links: Dr Kelly Widdicks [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/staff/kelly-widdicks] Carbon impact of AI research (Patterns - De Vries-Gao) [https://www.cell.com/patterns/fulltext/S2666-3899%252825%252900278-8] UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk] How Bad Are Bananas? by Mike Berners-Lee [https://howbadarebananas.com] Find our website at raisinggenerationai.com [http://raisinggenerationai.com] We're also on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/raisinggenerationai/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/raisinggenerationai]. The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!

Will my kids ever learn to drive?

Fiona hates driving and loves the idea of a world where automated cars are the norm, whereas Holly is pretty worried about the thought of it. With driverless cars being tested on the streets of London there was no better time than now to ask Dr Nick Reed whether our kids will ever need to take a driving test. Dr Nick is an expert in the safe deployment of driverless cars in the UK and tells us what it’s like to take a ride in a Waymo. Useful Links: Reed Mobility [https://www.reed-mobility.co.uk] Athlete running in sports day race [https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c70zj1xxgjzo] AI Confidential with Hannah Fry - Death by Driverless Car [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002r9c1] Zoox [https://zoox.com] Waymo [https://waymo.com] Wayve [https://wayve.ai] Find our website at raisinggenerationai.com [http://raisinggenerationai.com] We're also on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/raisinggenerationai/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/raisinggenerationai]. The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!

School Report

The big question this week is whether Holly is feeling any more knowledgeable about AI. Join Fiona and Holly as they reflect on what they’ve learned in the last few weeks and what they want to cover before the summer. Useful Links: askma.co.uk [http://askma.co.uk] Find our website at raisinggenerationai.com [http://raisinggenerationai.com] We're also on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/raisinggenerationai/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/raisinggenerationai]. The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!

Should my daughter learn to code?

Holly has always considered coding a “safe-bet” career path, but now AI can code she’s not sure whether it’s a good path to encourage her daughter down. Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO of Stemettes, joins us on the podcast to talk about tech careers, unicorns and periods. Useful Links: Stemettes [https://stemettes.org] (sign up to the newsletter) Link to Hannah Fry’s video about paperclips and mugs [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXzLSVrsNz2] Clip of James Acaster on The Great British Bake Off [https://youtu.be/0zky4p5HBYE?si=JfNgUDBeaEffYUed] She’s in Ctrl book [https://aimafidon.com/book/shes-in-ctrl] Find our website at raisinggenerationai.com [http://raisinggenerationai.com] We're also on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/raisinggenerationai/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/raisinggenerationai]. The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!