“Virtual children” are a speculative idea, not a product people can sign up for. In a June 1, 2022 report, Futurism attributed the prediction to UK-based AI expert Catriona Campbell, who imagined people raising AI-based children in the metaverse. Campbell called them “Tamagotchi children,” but the report names no service, provider, launch date, or actual price.
What does “Tamagotchi children” mean?
Campbell’s phrase describes hypothetical AI-based children that people would raise in a metaverse environment. The name invokes Tamagotchi virtual pets, but the proposal is about simulated offspring rather than a currently available game or parenting service.
Futurism identifies Campbell’s book, AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence, as the source of the idea. The report quotes her prediction that “within 50 years” metaverse babies could become indistinguishable from babies in the real world. That is Campbell’s forecast, not a confirmed development timeline or a demonstrated technical capability.
Would virtual children cost less or be less messy?
The headline’s cost and messiness comparison describes the appeal of the imagined alternative, not a verified product comparison. Futurism reports that Campbell told The Telegraph the experience would not be entirely free and might be widely available for a relatively small monthly fee. The report gives no amount, subscription terms, provider, or basis for comparing costs with raising a child.
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There is no virtual-child service or offer identified in the report. A possible monthly fee is part of the hypothetical scenario, not a current price readers can use to budget or purchase access.
What benefits did Campbell predict?
Campbell argued that virtual children could help address overpopulation and limited resources, provided the phenomenon was managed correctly. These are her proposed reasons for the idea; the Futurism report cites no study or measured result showing that virtual children would reduce population pressures, resource use, or environmental impact.
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The report therefore supports describing the proposal as speculative, not as an established solution to social or environmental problems.
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The concrete item connected to the proposal is Campbell’s book, AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence. Futurism links the prediction to that book. Its mention is further reading, not evidence that Campbell or the book’s publisher offers a virtual-child product.
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