New York school halts use of humanoid robot 'Sally' following pressure from the state and union.

      A humanoid robot named Sally was supposed to be integrated into a high school classroom in Western New York this fall, complete with silicone skin and long brown hair. However, her plans have been placed on hold.

      A proposal that had discreetly gained approval from the Salamanca school board in June turned into a public debate in the weeks that followed, focusing on issues of student privacy, screen time, and the company behind the robot. New York’s top education official has now requested that the district delay implementation.

      The Salamanca City Central School District is located on the Seneca Nation reservation in the rural southwest of the state and serves around 1,300 students, approximately one-third of whom identify as American Indian or Alaska Native.

      The district announced the pause on Friday following a letter from New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa. “The Department remains concerned about the impact that a humanoid robot may have in a high school setting,” Rosa mentioned, noting that many parents, teachers, and stakeholders were “rightly concerned about the presence of artificial intelligence technology in classrooms.”

      This apprehension regarding AI technology in education has extended beyond Salamanca.

      Sally was created by Realbotix, a Toronto-based company that has spent the past year advocating for the inclusion of approachable, physical humanoid robots in classrooms instead of labs. The district invested $57,590 for the robot and a corresponding AI teacher’s assistant, receiving a discount from the original price of $95,000. The plan was to incorporate her into high school AI and robotics classes based on a curriculum from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

      While Sally remains seated, she can move her upper body and facial features, and the district asserts that she does not possess facial recognition capabilities, record data, and operates on a closed network without internet access. Additionally, the package included an AI assistant that students could access as an avatar on their laptops to provide homework assistance, feedback, and real-time translation in over 100 languages.

      What turned a modest pilot project into a statewide issue was not merely the hardware, but the background of the company. Realbotix, previously known as Tokens.com, acquired Simulcra in 2024, which is the parent company of RealDoll, known for producing hyperrealistic sex dolls and companion robots. Realbotix has stated that the two divisions do not share staff, facilities, or technology, and it aims for a complete separation by September, but the connection was significant enough to prompt reactions from teachers’ unions.

      “A robot made by a company associated with sex dolls has no place in our classrooms,” remarked Melinda Person, president of New York State United Teachers.

      Superintendent Mark Beehler defended the initiative as a way to teach students to live with technology rather than disregard it. “Many schools choose the easy route of simply banning it,” he stated, “but I’ve observed that students will often find ways around most regulations schools impose.” He emphasized that Realbotix would not have access to personally identifiable student information and that Sally was intended to complement rather than replace a teacher.

      Opinions within Salamanca were divided, with some parents supporting early exposure to AI as beneficial for future employment opportunities, while others questioned the district's decision to invest in a robot instead of hiring more educators.

      The department was not convinced, at least for the time being, raising concerns that now loom over nearly any educational technology: data security, screen time, and the suitability of these tools for children.

      Half of American parents already express concerns that their children rely on AI too heavily, and researchers have highlighted the potential risks to students from general-purpose AI being used in their academic work. Salamanca indicated it would utilize the pause to address improved student data privacy agreements and maintain communication with parents before making further decisions.

      For the moment, Sally remains on hold. Realbotix CEO Andrew Kiguel adopted a conciliatory tone, expressing the company's desire for the program to be “demonstrably safe, fully district-approved, and strongly supported by teachers.” Whether Salamanca’s classrooms will have their robot this fall, or at all, is no longer solely up to the district.