AI in the Toybox: Navigating Smart Toys & Child Development with Dr. Emily Goodacre from the University of Cambridge

AI-powered toys are no longer science fiction – they're rapidly entering our children's playrooms. But what do we really know about their impact? 

In this episode of TechTots, we're joined by Dr. Emily Goodacre, a developmental psychologist and Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, to explore the burgeoning world of AI toys.

We dig into what defines these "smart" playthings, the potential effects on children's social play, relationships, and development, and the critical questions parents should be asking. 

Dr. Goodaker shares her research, the balance between excitement and caution, and practical advice for navigating this new technological frontier. 

From cuddly AI companions to interactive storytellers, discover the opportunities, risks, and the many unknowns. Plus, stay tuned for a quick-fire round on tech utopias, dystopias, and the metaverse!

Produced by Early Ideas Limited, who are building Tandem.

Podcast music by Tibor Miklos.


www.playtandem.com

Follow us @playtandem on: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Tech Tots
More Tech Tots Podcasts
Podcast
Tech Tots Podcast

Episode 5: From Puppets to Pixels: Learning from Sesame Street's Playbook for the AI Revolution

What does a healthy digital life look like for a child? As AI and algorithm-driven content reshape our world at a dizzying pace, parents are left wondering how to keep up. In this episode, host Rob Hughes sits down with Michael Preston, Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, for a wide-ranging conversation recorded recently in Abu Dhabi. Michael shares insights from his career at the intersection of education and technology, drawing on the foundational principle...

Podcast
Tech Tots Podcast

Why TechTots? we need to talk more about the big changes that tech is bringing for little people

In this episode we'll explain why we think we all need to think more about the big changes that technology is bringing for little people. While walking around the historic Brunswick Square Gardens in London Alastair and Rob will introduce themselves and will explain why we wanted to start this podcast (and to build Tandem). In short, young lives are too important to leave the (real) tech bros. We promise a thought-provoking and jargon free intro into the digital lives of toddlers....

Podcast
Tech Tots Podcast

Babies and toddlers are not just small adults - in conversation with Prof Sam Wass

In this episode, Professor Sam Wass from the Institute for the Science of Early Years discusses how children's brains process information very differently from adults, particularly in noisy environments where they struggle to filter sounds. This ability to focus develops slowly. A key insight is the importance of predictability and rhythm in early learning, which helps young brains form stable patterns. While we learn best with an intermediate level of predictability, young children benefit f...

See All Tots