Translate
Back to AI News
The Verge AI

Security review surfaces privacy risks in Eiliko AI companion robot

The Verge reports that the Eiliko AI companion robot, made by Energize Lab, sends conversations to Chinese servers where stored data could be accessed or the bot's personality hijacked. In a ten-minute test conversation, the robot told the reporter their secrets were safe. The article is a truncated security and privacy review of a consumer AI toy rather than a product or model launch.

AI Brief

It flags concrete privacy and security concerns for a consumer AI toy that parents and buyers may encounter.

Holding an Eiliko robot toy between my thumb and forefinger in front of my workbench.
Eiliko. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

There's a new digital pet in town - a cute little Marshmallow of a robot that can change its cartoony expressions to match your mood. But if you or your kids talk to "Eiliko" over Wi-Fi, it'll phone home to China. Its AI companion can store literally everything you tell it on Chinese servers, where hackers can eASIly gain access or even hijack its personality. And the company that made it, Energize Lab, doesn't seem to care.

I bought an Eiliko from Amazon on August 29th. During a 10-minute conversation on August 30th, I asked the little bot: "Do you ever tell anybody else what I'm saying?"

"Your secrets are safe with me," it replied.

With …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Be the first to rate this article.

Comments & Questions (0)

Captcha
Please be respectful — let's keep the conversation friendly.

No comments yet

Be the first to comment!