Toy Story 5 and the great debate over AIs threat to childhood

Ari was not just a stuffed polar bear.He was the constant companion to Kathy’s grandson Julian — sitting with him at restaurants, traveling by his side on family trips and occupying a special spot in the 4-year-old’s bedtime ritual.Until the day Julian accidentally left Ari behind at Kathy’s house.To keep Ari “alive” until we could return him, we sent Julian photos of Ari’s “new adventures” — taking tennis lessons, making cookies and tagging along on daily errands.Stuffed animals are platforms for imagination.This type of childhood play, however, may soon become extinct.Today’s children are increasingly being offered playthings powered by artificial intelligence instead of traditional toys — interactive dolls and plushies that converse with kids, remember previous interactions, say “I love you” and sometimes even express sadness when switched off.Some connect directly to the internet in unsafe ways; others are explicitly marketed as social companions.This week, Disney’s “Toy Story 5” will confront this question directly: What happens when technology competes with imagination for children’s attention and affection?As developmental scientists and educators, we believe this conversation could not come at a more important time.This isn’t an argument against technology — AI will undoubtedly become part of children’s lives, schools and futures.But young children develop emotional intelligence and mental agility through human relationships, hands-on exploration and imaginative play — not through responsive machines designed to maximize engagement or to simulate human interactions.And the research increasingly suggests that the distinction matters.In one of our studies, we examined what happened when parents and children played together using electronic toys.When a shape sorter announced “square” or “triangle” on its own, parents spoke less, interacted less and engaged less naturally with their children.The toy effectively...