Mattel and OpenAI announced a strategic collaboration on June 12, 2025, to develop AI-powered toys and experiences expected to launch later this year. The Barbie maker will utilise OpenAI's technology to "bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences" with an emphasis on innovation, privacy, and safety, as highlighted in the companies' joint statement.
Mattel, which owns popular brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl, and Uno card games, will gain access to OpenAI's advanced AI capabilities, including the ChatGPT Enterprise business tool, which the company plans to leverage to enhance product innovation. The California-based toymaker, with $5.4 billion in revenue, has focused on producing films, TV shows, and mobile applications over the past year to offset slowdowns in its core toy segment; in May 2025, Mattel withdrew its annual forecast and announced it would raise prices on certain domestically sold products to mitigate rising supply chain costs.
This collaboration illustrates the rapid proliferation of AI throughout society and how the technology is now shaping children's play experiences. Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's Chief Operating Officer, emphasised that Mattel will have "access to an advanced set of AI capabilities alongside new tools to enable productivity, creativity, and company-wide transformation at scale"; meanwhile, for OpenAI, this represents another step into the hardware market after acquiring Jony Ive's—Apple's former chief designer—hardware startup io for $6.4 billion in May 2025.
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Mattel is collaborating with OpenAI to develop its first AI-enabled product featuring Barbie and Fisher-Price brands
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Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
