A New York school district has scrapped plans to introduce a $60,000 humanoid robot called Sally into classrooms after concerns emerged over the manufacturer’s connection to the sex doll industry.
Salamanca City Central School District, which serves students on the Seneca Nation Reservation near Buffalo, said earlier this month that it had partnered with Realbotix to bring the humanoid robot into a school setting.
The proposed pilot was described by the district on Instagram as an “educational resource for a small group of students” taking specialized courses.
But the plan quickly drew criticism from teachers and parents, who questioned both the impact on student learning and the broader implications for educators’ jobs.
Realbotix markets its technology for education and healthcare uses, but one teacher raised concerns after noting that its sister company, Intima LLC, manufactures sex dolls.
“A robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms,” Melinda Person of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) said, according to Fox 6 Now.
Person also told the Daily Mail that schools should be investing in people, not replacing human connection with artificial intelligence. “The future of education isn’t more artificial intelligence. It’s more authentic human intelligence – more relationships, more mentorship, and more opportunities for every child to be seen, known, and inspired by a great teacher,” she said.
Realbotix says its products are designed for education and healthcare initiatives. The Salamanca pilot had been billed as an “educational resource for a small group of students.”
The school has now put the program on hold as it works with the company to ‘enhance student data privacy agreements,’ it said on Friday.
The NYSUT had previously denounced the introduction of the robot to classrooms.
In May, NYSUT called for limitations on screen time and student-facing AI, saying in a press release that educational decisions should be driven by educators and parents and not technology.
The union has also pushed for students to become ‘disconnected’ from technology in schools. In September, it will be hosting a conference in Albany to discuss the future in New York’s education.
New York ranks first among the 50 states for education, followed by Connecticut and Massachusetts, World Population Review said.
It recently outranked neighboring Massachusetts, which dropped to third this year.
Superintendent Dr Mark Beehler initially defended the decision, saying the program would have ‘safeguards for content and privacy’ and that the robot will not provide ‘inappropriate, inaccurate, or biased information’, according to WKBW.
‘It enables personalized learning, supports students outside the school walls, and better meets the needs of diverse and reluctant learners,’ he said, speaking before the U-turn.
Superintendent Dr Mark Beehler initially defended the decision, saying the program would have ‘safeguards for content and privacy’
‘This partnership gives all students controlled, equitable access to safe and powerful AI resources while fostering learning – not replacing it.’
The superintendent went on to say that the district is embracing AI because they know it will be a ‘significant factor for our students in the workplace.’
He also said the system the AI runs on is a closed one, with data and cloud servers remaining on campus.
‘Realbotixs will have no personally identifiable information about our particular students,’ he said.
He added that the robot is a stationary object and will not be ‘walking through the halls.’
He said parents should not worry as the robot would not give students answers, but ‘assists the student in getting to an answer.’
‘It is not going to replace teachers. It doesn’t replace the learning,’ he said.
Realbotix told the Daily Mail in a statement last week that the robot is a first-of-its-kind and was specifically designed with education in mind.
The NYSUT has denounced the introduction of the robot to classrooms
‘The partnership also gives educators an opportunity to evaluate these technologies in a controlled classroom environment under district oversight,’ it said.
It also cut down any rumors that the robot has any similarity to those found in the sex industry.
‘The Salamanca robot is a newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit; no existing product or hardware is being modified or repurposed for the school,’ the company Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Beehler and Realbotix for comment.
