Mattel's number one request it hears from girls is that they want to have a two-way conversation with Barbie. To meet this demand and capitalize on the growing market for conversational tech, in 2015, the company partnered with startup ToyTalk to create the Hello Barbie doll, which had hardware hidden in its body that allowed it to carry on a conversation using artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Like other conversational technologies such as Siri, Barbie had a default response for unexpected questions or statements: 'That sounds like something you should talk to a grown-up about.' The AI doll was among the first sophisticated consumer products for young children in the growing conversation technology space. Some people had concerns about the level of security provided by the cloud-based technology, and they worried that a talking Barbie would stifle children's creativity because they would no longer need to imagine their doll conversing with them. 

'Hello Barbie' was discontinued in 2017.