FILE – A Realbotix humanoid robot, center, speaks to attendees at a Realbotix booth during the CES technology trade show Jan. 8, 2025, in Las Vegas.
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Abbie Parr/AP
NEW YORK – A school district in a rural area of upstate New York is pausing plans to use an AI-powered humanoid robot in the classroom after state education officials, teachers and residents raised concerns, including the manufacturer’s ties to a company that makes hyper-realistic sex bots.
The Salamanca City Central School District board approved the nearly $60,000 purchase of Realbotix with the vision that “Sally,” as the stationary robot with long dark hair was previously known, would enhance the education of high school students studying robotics and technology.
“You have a hard time programming an Arduino board? You don’t even know what an Arduino board is? Ask Sally and she can explain it to you,” Superintendent Mark Beehler said Tuesday. “The robot also provides students with the opportunity to learn how to maintain the robot, update it with new approved content, and troubleshoot problems.”
But as news spread throughout the small community on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation, parents and teachers worried about how students’ personal information would be used. Unionized teachers targeted Realbotix’s sister sex doll company, even though district officials and the company itself emphasized that the two manufacturers operated independently of each other.
“A robot built by a sex doll company has no place in our classrooms,” said Melinda Person, president of the New York State United Teachers union.
According to a statement the district posted on its Facebook page Friday, the robot pilot remains on hold for now as the district enters into “enhanced student privacy agreements” with state education officials and continues to engage with the community.
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State officials and teachers are raising concerns
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said she remained concerned about the robot’s role in the classroom even after her staff met with district officials.
“Although you confirmed that the robot would have no role in providing instruction in the classroom, the robot was referred to as a ‘tutoring platform’ in a recent presentation to the board,” Rosa wrote in a letter to the district on Friday.
She also addressed residents’ concerns about the privacy and security measures in place.
Meanwhile, unionized teachers said the effort was a first step toward replacing flesh-and-blood teachers. “Sally” can move her arms and hands, but has non-functional legs.
“Our students don’t need robots,” Person said. “They need real relationships with caring adults.”
County officials defend robot purchase
Beehler emphasized that the pilot, which also includes the launch of a virtual, AI-powered teacher assistant and an at-home tutoring program, is not about replacing staff.
“There is no way a robot can replace a human in a school,” he said Tuesday. “Even if it were possible, it would by no means be in the best interest of the students. Teaching is a person-to-person process.”
Beehler, who was connected to Realbotix through a former colleague, said the Las Vegas-based company was a perfect fit because its robots were already programmed with WozEd, a curriculum from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak that the district uses.
Last year, a charter school in San Diego launched two AI-powered robots that it purchased for $500,000 from Engineered Arts, a robotics company based in the United Kingdom.
Salamanca Schools stressed in social media posts that “Sally” will not collect personal information from students, will not record audio or video of their interactions, and will not send data back to Realbotix.
The robot has also been programmed to avoid inappropriate topics such as sex, violence and gambling, and it will not be able to search the public internet or get answers from unvetted generative AI services.
Instead, all information about “Sally” is stored locally, with the life-size robot using about as much energy as a laptop, according to the district.
Robot manufacturer responds to criticism
Realbotix added Tuesday that student authentication is handled through the district’s existing systems and all information associated with students remains encrypted and under the district’s control.
The company also dismissed suggestions that “Sally” was simply a repurposed sex doll, saying it was a “newly manufactured, purpose-built learning unit” with no modified hardware.
The school’s robot comes from Realbotix LLC, which focuses on healthcare, education and other non-adult commercial applications. A sister company, Intima LLC, has a stake in RealDoll, a longtime maker of sex dolls, including a line of AI-powered models billed as the “world’s most advanced sex robot.”
“Realbotix LLC and Intima LLC have distinct product offerings with no overlap,” the company said in a statement last week. “The two subsidiaries maintain their own management, personnel, payroll, facilities, manufacturing operations, product development and market strategies.”
Some residents remain cautious
Beehler argued that it is critical for isolated districts like Salamanca, which sits on the Allegheny River near the Pennsylvania state line, to find new ways to introduce cutting-edge products into classrooms.
“In most cases, our students have to travel one to two hours to learn new technologies,” he said Tuesday. “One of the intentions of the robot is to level the playing field and motivate students to continue studying career paths related to robotics, AI and STEAM.”
However, some Salamanca residents remain unconvinced.
Joplin Ficek, a 2024 graduate of Salamanca High School who now works at a daycare center, said she sees no reason why robots or AI should even play such a prominent role at her alma mater.
“They just need to hire more people who are willing to commit to the kids,” Ficek said. “They need more interaction with the children than our children being raised by a robot.”
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/29/g-s1-136072/ai-robot-teacher
