Grimes, the famous Canadian artist and songwriter, is entering the toy world with a new character called Grok. Grok is a screenless AI plush created by the company Curio, and Grimes lends her voice. This toy is unrelated to the AI chatbot of the same name supported by Grimes’ former partner, Elon Musk.
Musk described his Grok as a character with a “rebellious drive” and the ability to answer “piquant questions that are dismissed by most other AI systems.” However, Grok, Gabbo and Grem, the characters created by Curio, are designed to encourage play and stimulate children’s creativity.
According to Grimes, it is important to foster creativity in children from an early age through dynamic conversations, rather than simply offering a static list of suggestions. Grimes said, “I like the idea of stimulating imagination and making it easier to access it in your current existence, rather than just observing it in other existences, like on the screen or in a movie or book.”
Curio’s Grok toys: a new interactive experience
Curio says Grok toys can support full conversations, allowing children (and adults) to practice their communication skills. The toy line includes Grok, an anthropomorphized spaceship with Grimes’ voice; Gabbo, who looks like a plush Gameboy with arms and legs; and Grem, a cyan bunny with hearts on his cheeks.
Beta versions of the toys are available for pre-order through Sunday, priced at $99 each. They are recommended for children ages 3 to 7. Interestingly, Grimes and Musk’s eldest son, named X Æ A-Xii, is 3 years old, so the toys might be particularly appropriate for him.
Full conversations and development of listening and speaking skills
Grok toys are designed to provide an interactive experience for children. They can answer questions about how space rockets are made, play with the user, and encourage children to develop listening and speaking skills. Inside the plush toy is a rechargeable, Wi-Fi-connected speaker and microphone that are linked to an app for parents to set up and monitor their children’s interactions with the toy.
Grimes said her goal is to preserve as many children’s minds as possible by trying to replace iPads. According to her, keeping things verbal promotes working memory use and improves brain functioning in small but significant ways.
Grimes’ involvement with Curio and the spat with Elon Musk
Grimes became interested in Curio after responding to a post regarding the future of toys integrated withartificial intelligence, which mentioned teddy bears for children that talk and make them feel safe at night. Grimes had commented that it would be “great if it was safe” and that she would love it if her children could spend time with a “stuffed bear with a cultural ship mind.”
Curio filed its trademark for Grok on September 12 of this year, while xAI, Musk’s company, filed its trademark for Grok on October 23. Curio’s Grok is short for Grocket, as Grimes’ children spend a lot of time around space rockets due to the fact that their father owns SpaceX.
Currently, Grimes and Musk are involved in a legal battle over the custody of their three children and have sued each other in California and Texas, respectively.
In commenting on the situation, Grimes said that when Curio realized that xAI’s Grok AI company was using the same name, “it was too late for both of them to change it.” He added wryly that there are now two AIs named Grok and he looks forward to them becoming friends. He joked that evenAI cannot avoid meeting another person with the same name at school.