A New York school district paused its plan to deploy a humanoid AI robot in high school classrooms after educators, parents, and residents raised concerns about data privacy, ethical implications, and the manufacturer’s ties to a company linked to sex dolls.
The decision follows backlash from teachers, union leaders, and local residents, who questioned the robot’s role in classrooms and its connection to a company with a controversial history.
District Pauses Deployment Amid Privacy and Ethical Concerns
The district’s board had envisioned “Sally” as an educational tool to teach students about robotics, with features including voice recognition, facial expressions, and interactive learning modules. Superintendent Mark Beehler emphasized the robot would not replace teachers, stating, There is no possible way a robot can replace a human in a school.
However, the project faces scrutiny over data security and the company’s affiliations.
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa raised concerns in a letter to the district, noting that while the robot would not deliver classroom instruction, it had been described as a tutoring platform
in recent presentations. Rosa emphasized the need for enhanced student data privacy agreements
and urged the district to address community input. A district statement acknowledged the pause, saying, Ensuring that appropriate privacy protections are in place and incorporating input from our community are important parts of the process.
Realbotix, the robot’s manufacturer, denied ties to sex doll production, stating the device was a newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit.
However, a sister company, Intima LLC, holds an ownership stake in RealDoll, a manufacturer of AI-powered sex dolls. This connection fueled criticism from educators and residents, with New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) president Melinda Person calling the robot a robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms.
Cultural and Educational Criticisms Emerge
Local Native American residents and educators criticized the decision to test the robot in a high school with a significant Indigenous student population, calling it culturally tone deaf.
Nearly 40% of Salamanca High School’s students are Native American, and some viewed the pilot as another instance of experimentation on Indigenous communities. Sierra May Abrams, a substitute teacher and resident, said, Out of all the schools in New York state, let alone in the US, they chose to experiment on Native American children yet again.
NYSUT has urged the state to establish enforceable guidelines for AI in schools, warning that without regulations, districts could face similar controversies. Person stated, No student should be the test case for a machine built to befriend children.
The union also plans to include AI protections in upcoming contract negotiations.
Company Defends Robot’s Role, Acknowledges Controversy
Realbotix emphasized that “Sally” would not collect personal data, record audio or video, or access the open internet. The company stated that student authentication would be handled through the district’s existing systems, with data encrypted and controlled locally. However, critics remain skeptical. Realbotix, formerly Tokens.com, a Toronto-based company, purchased Simulacra, a Las Vegas-based company known for realistic sex dolls, for $16.7m in April 2024, marking a pivot for the company from crypto to humanoid robots.
The pause in Salamanca underscores the growing scrutiny of AI in schools, as districts balance innovation with ethical and cultural considerations. With no state-level policies in place, the outcome of this case may set a precedent for how AI is integrated into classrooms across New York.
