ICAT Playdate — Reimagining Early Learning Through AI-Enhanced Parent-Child Playful Joint Reading

Our TaleMate project aims to design and evaluate a program that leverages AI voice agents to bring storybooks to life, allowing parents and children to choose and role-play characters, select diverse AI-generated voices, and follow prompts for dialogic interaction. This study explores TaleMate’s potential to foster playful engagement, transforming digital reading into an opportunity for meaningful parent-child interaction and cognitive growth. With its adaptability across devices like tablets, smartphones, and smart speakers, we expect TaleMate to provide a scalable, affordable solution that supports early literacy development and creative learning for families, educators, and librarians.