Rise of the 'Tamagotchi kids': Virtual children will be commonplace in 50 years, AI expert predicts

Virtual children that play with you, cuddle you, and even look like you will be commonplace in 50 years, and could help to combat overpopulation, an artificial intelligence expert has claimed. These computer-generated offspring will only exist in the immersive digital world known as the'metaverse', which is accessed using virtual reality technology such as a headset to make a user feel as if they're face-to-face with the child. They will cost next to nothing to bring up, as they will require minimal resources, according to Catriona Campbell, one of the UK's leading authorities on AI and emerging technologies. In her new book, AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence, she argues that concerns about overpopulation will prompt society to embrace digital children. She describes them as the'Tamagotchi generation' -- a reference to the handheld digital pets that became wildly popular among Western youngsters in the late 1990s and the 2000s.