Chinese experts and business leaders said AI toys, designed for emotional support and companionship, are primed to ignite the next consumer trend wave.
“Young consumers are increasingly paying for emotional value, and AI companionship is emerging as a key early-use case,” said Sun Zhaozhi, founder and chief executive of Shanghai-based AI-driven toy startup Robopoet.
“This is attracting more companies, including major firms, into the field,” he said.
Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has revealed that China’s AI toy market reached 24.6 billion yuan in 2024 and is projected to hit 29 billion yuan this year.
Collectible toys have been named a priority support category for consumption for the first time, positioning it among 10 segments targeted to surpass 100 billion yuan by 2027.
“The deep integration of AI with traditional toy manufacturing is reshaping product forms and value chains, making AI toys a new engine for high-quality industrial development,” said He Yaqiong, head of the consumer products industry department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Robopoet’s flagship AI plush toy Fuzozo, priced at 399 yuan and featuring user conversations plus eye contact, sold over 1,000 units in the first 10 minutes of the “618” presale. It also claimed the No. 1 spot in AI toy sales on both JD and Tmall during this year’s Double 11 festival.
The product has sold around 100,000 units this year so far, with ambitions to reach 1 million next year and generate 400-500 million yuan in gross merchandise value.