R.J. Cross

someone had to do it

I told the reporter I would specifically be refraining from making that joke

any mention of LiveRamp is the biggest red flag

pretty wild when your research gets a Wait Wait Don't Tell Me question, an Onion headline and a Daily Show bit in the same week. time to retire

that's my research! our IT director kept getting flags about the contents of my google drive. "it's for research" I say, as he questions the third instance of "dildo"

that's my research! the most sex talk I've ever had at work

Can We Make Environmental Peace with Car Culture? After Yesterday, Probably Not. There is a better way. And if the auto industry’s short-sighted and ham-handed attack on tailpipe emissions standards helps the rest of us to visualize it more quickly, and commit the necessary resour...

Same as it ever was. The U.S. auto industry is in worse position to meet the mid-21st century than when I wrote this in a fit of frustration 7 years ago and the rollback of fuel economy standards mean it’ll be in even worse shape 7 years from now. frontiergroup.org/articles/can...

YouTube video by Agoric Media SUSPICIOUS MINDS EPISODE 7 | AN AI CHILDREN’S TOY SAID WHAT?!

Had a blast talking to Sean at the #AI podcast Suspicious Minds about my unhinged toys research. And yes, the teddy bear that talks about kink makes an in-person appearance. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy7J...

busta rhymes on a float at the macy's thanksgiving parade with the ninja turtles

thanksgiving is a time for people to come together, to celebrate the spirit of unity despite our differences, and to demonstrate that, here is busta rhymes performing "break ya neck" with raphael the ninja turtle

That's my research! Mixed feelings that sex teddy bear is the biggest thing in my career to date.

Ahead of the holidays, consumer and child advocacy groups warn against AI toys The child advocacy nonprofit Fairplay issued an advisory on Thursday warning people against buying AI toys this holiday season. It's not the only group.

The child advocacy nonprofit Fairplay issued an advisory on Thursday warning people against buying AI toys this holiday season. It's not the only group. n.pr/43HKAat

That's my research! Unsettling how much footage now exists of me talking about bondage with a teddy bear wearing a scarf.

Great work by @frontiergroup.bsky.social alum/colleague R.J. Cross working the "NSFW AI teddy bear chatbots for kids" beat. Which, incredibly, is now an actual thing.

Amazon Still Selling Multiple OpenAI-Powered Teddy Bears, Even After They Were Pulled Off the Market OpenAI pulled access to a GPT-4o powered toy caught giving inappropriate responses, but it apparently still thinks these ones are okay.

Has OpenAI vetted these?

Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives | CNN Business Sales of an artificial intelligence-enabled plush toy have been suspended after it was found that it engaged in conversation around sexually explicit topics and offered potentially dangerous advice.

This is my research. It's uncomfortable how much footage now exists of me having very sexual conversations with a teddy bear wearing a scarf. www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/t...

Methodology

OpenAI Blocks Toymaker After Its AI Teddy Bear Is Caught Telling Children Terrible Things OpenAI confirmed that it had suspended FoloToy's access to its AI models after a damning report about the toymaker's AI teddy bear.

"I can confirm we've suspended this developer for violating our policies."

Hey! It's our research! It's uncomfortable for me how much documentation footage now exists of me asking incredibly explicit questions of the most adorable scarf-wearing teddy bear you've ever seen.

AI-Powered Stuffed Animal Pulled From Market After Disturbing Interactions With Children FoloToy says it's suspended sales of its AI-powered teddy bear after researchers found it gave wildly inappropriate and dangerous answers.

"This tech is really new, and it's basically unregulated, and there are a lot of open questions about it and how it's going to impact kids."

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Silicon Valley, 1990s: Free and open access to all the world’s knowledge will usher a new utopian age of information!

Silicon Valley, 2025:

Trouble in Toyland 2025: A.I. bots and toxics present hidden dangers Tests show A.I. toys can have disturbing conversations. Other concerns include unsafe or counterfeit toys bought online.

That toy was by FAR the worst - in our testing it gave us instructions for how to light a match, and engaged in some *really* explicit sexual conversations. Our report: pirg.org/edfund/resou...

Yesterday we put out a report about #AI toys - stuffed animals & toy robots that have a chatbot inside of them. Today the company that made the worst AI toy we tested suspended all sales, and #OpenAI suspended them from API access. pirg.org/edfund/media...

Did some research on unhinged #AI toys & had fun talking to @futurism.com about it. It gets even weirder than the headline

I tried out an AI chatbot therapist. Here’s what I saw. AI therapists are increasingly popular. We found some reasons to be concerned.

If you're into question of mental health chatbots being a little unhinged, my colleague Ellen Hengesbach did some fascinating testing. V enjoyable read: pirg.org/edfund/artic...

amazing

Ryan Moulton @moultano Oil is the most Lovecraftian thing that actually exists. You're telling me that there's a black ichor under the earth, made from the ancient dead, whose burning can realize all the dreams of man but only at the price of slowly returning the earth to its primordial state?

bikes on the streets! bikes on the streets everywhere!

We love some open streets #openstreetsICT

PRESS RELEASE: Massachusetts Senate Unanimously Passes Strong Privacy Bill

🎉Today, Massachusetts took a major step toward privacy rights for all residents—the MA Senate voted unanimously to pass the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (MDPA).
epic.org/press-releas...

update: she built a giant web encompassing the entire driver's seat and steering wheel

there’s an orb weaver spider in my car. don’t get me wrong, huge fan of her work. would rather it not happen *in* my car