Former LivePerson CEO launches KID, a safe AI toy designed without any advertising or browsing tools
KID Company has announced the launch of KID, an AI-powered toy that does not allow children to access internet browsers or scroll endlessly. Without any advertising, the toy claims to provide a safe alternative to potentially harmful AI toys.
Instead of a flat screen display, KID is based on a rounded sphere to be more tactile and inviting for children who can use voice and touch to create their own stories and characters using generative AI.
KID includes a transparent parent app that allows for visibility without surveillance.
As many parents have raised concerns around the use of AI toys, which may potentially expose children to unsafe content, KID aims to provide a more responsible alternative.
“Years of handing kids adult-oriented devices have produced outcomes that are hard to ignore — the glazed-over stare, the compulsive swiping, the growing dependence on screen time, and the quiet drift away from the physical world,” explains Robert LoCascio, Founder of KID Company and former CEO at conversation AI platform LivePerson.
“KID was designed in our childhood-first technology studio to reverse that trend. With no internet access and a focus on imagination, storytelling, and family connection, it gives children a healthier, more human way to learn and play.”
LoCasio began working on KID after watching his four-year-old son spending hours on YouTube. After creating an early version of KID, he spent an evening with his son using the toy to create their own stories and characters.
“After that, he stopped asking for YouTube,” LoCascio explains. “He wanted to keep making his own stories and AI buddies. That experience shaped the core principle behind KID: technology should spark creativity, not consumption.”
