Dr Emily Goodacre and Professor Jenny Gibson are researching the implications of new toys with embedded Artificial Intelligence (AI) for young children. They are focusing on children from backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage, in partnership with The Childhood Trust, a London-based child poverty charity.
The project brings together the perspectives of early years practitioners, parents, and children to understand how AI toys could impact children aged five and under. It also examines children’s observed play behaviours with an AI toy, and you can read the March 2026 project report to learn about the research findings.
Emily and Jenny have also published a letter in the Guardian calling for greater dialogue on how childhood could be impacted by AI toys.