In 2024, the scale of China’s AI toy market is expected to reach approximately 24.6 billion yuan. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, especially the deep empowerment of large model technology, this figure is projected to soar to 29 billion yuan by 2025, representing a year-on-year growth rate of up to 18%.
Compared to traditional toys, AI toys are no longer simple entertainment tools; they have transformed from functional products to emotional companion products through advanced technologies such as voice recognition and emotional computing.
Today’s AI toys are truly “intelligent partners” with substance.
Their powerful interactive capabilities and emotional companionship functions allow AI toys to cater to various age groups, from toddlers in early education to young people seeking relaxation and elderly individuals desiring emotional care.
AI toys have become another consumer hotspot following blind boxes and trendy toys, with their market potential continuously being explored and unleashed.
AI toys can “understand” human language, “think” about problems, and provide reasonable answers, making communication between toys and users more natural and intelligent.
AI toys are not only a warm harbor for emotional companionship but also a source of creativity.
Infants, children, teenagers, and the elderly can all find their own joy and value in the world of AI toys.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has introduced the “Implementation Plan for the Adaptability of Supply and Demand for Consumer Goods,” which outlines a clear blueprint for the development of the AI toy industry.
This plan focuses on the core value of AI toys in the field of educational companionship and aims precisely at this area. In education, AI toys, with their powerful personalized dialogue capabilities, can provide customized learning guidance based on each child’s learning progress and interests, stimulating children’s interest in learning and cultivating their ability to learn independently.
In terms of companionship, for the elderly, AI toys can serve as caring health management assistants. At the same time, by playing the elderly’s favorite old songs, telling historical stories, and sharing life anecdotes, they can accompany the elderly through their leisure time, alleviating their feelings of loneliness and adding warmth and joy to their lives.
Additionally, the policy emphasizes supporting companies in developing high-end products with advanced features such as cognitive learning and emotional recognition. These products can more sensitively perceive users’ emotional changes, understand their needs and intentions, and thus provide more thoughtful and personalized services.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology actively encourages toy companies to engage in deep cooperation with leading enterprises in the AI technology field, such as Baidu and iFlytek, to establish a reverse innovation model of “scene demand definition and technology research and development.”
The collaboration between Shifeng Culture and Baidu Smart Cloud is a prime example of this innovative model. The “AI Magic Star” launched by both parties, based on the advanced Doubao large model, achieves multi-turn dialogue and knowledge Q&A functions.
Alpha Group cleverly combines the beloved children’s IP “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf” with voice interaction technology to develop an interactive smart doll that tells stories.
Talking Tom, leveraging the super IP of “Talking Tom Cat,” deeply explores its commercial value and develops an AI voice emotional companion robot. This robot integrates advanced speech synthesis and natural language processing technologies, boasting powerful interactive capabilities.
Alpha Group is committed to closing the loop of “content creation – hardware development – scene operation” to build a complete industrial ecosystem. The company has transformed the popular IP “Super Wings” into an intelligent early education robot, achieving real-time interaction between animated characters and the real world through AR technology.
Yue Ruan Innovation’s BubblePal pendant allows ordinary plush toys to “speak” instantly, enabling natural dialogue between toys and children.
FoloToy’s Magicbox integrates multimodal interaction technology, making it a “universal chip” for the intelligent transformation of traditional toys. This product is compact and easy to install; users only need to connect it to various toys to give ordinary toys intelligent interactive functions.
To promote the development of AI toys, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposes establishing a “regulatory sandbox” mechanism. This allows companies to test and validate new technologies within a controlled scope, ensuring that risks remain manageable while exploring innovation.
In addition to children, teenagers, and the elderly, Generation Z, as a consumer group pursuing individuality and novelty, also has unique demands for AI toys.
In the future, the “virtual pet” economy targeting Generation Z is expected to become a new hotspot in the AI toy market.
Users can interact with virtual pets through smartphones or other smart devices, take care of their daily needs, cultivate relationships, and even socialize with other users’ virtual pets, increasing fun and social interaction.