Tamagotchi Generation: Expert Predicts AI Children With Subscription Fee 'On The Way'

Seemingly taken from one of the episodes of the British anthology TV series "Black Mirror," an expert on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the U.K. has predicted that the world is "already well on [its] way to creating the Tamagotchi Generation."

Catriona Campbell, a renowned behavioral psychologist specializing in AI, user experience, and human-machine interaction (HCI) argued in her new book, titled "AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence," that overpopulation will propel society to fully accept AI children.

Dubbed Tamagotchi Generation and inspired by the Japanese handheld digital pet introduced in 1996, Campbell described this as the emergence of computer-generated babies that only exist in the immersive world of metaverse.

"Virtual children may seem like a giant leap from where we are now, but within 50 years technology will have advanced to such an extent that babies which exist in the metaverse are indistinct from those in the real world," Campbell said.

The renowned behavioral psychologist and AI expert noted that people will one day use gloves capable of delivering tactile feedback to emulate physical sensations, allowing users to feed, play and cuddle with their digital kids as though they were real. Moreover, Campbell said consumer demand for digital babies will rise over time and the "AI children will become widely available for a relatively small monthly fee" or more or less $25.

The AI expert is certain that this "technological game-changer" will definitely happen, adding that if correctly managed, it could help solve "pressing issues" in the society, "including overpopulation."

Advanced machine learning and CGI (computer-generated imagery) will be crucial in the creation of photo-realistic bodies and faces of these AI children who will look like their parents and would recognize and respond to them through facial tracking and voice analysis.

The AI children that will make up the Tamagotchi Generation will also be capable of simulated emotional responses and speech. This ranges from "goo goo gaga" to back chatting as they grow.

Parents can also decide how quickly the AI child grows or if they want it not to grow at all. And, should they get bored, they can always hit the reset button.