NY School District Pauses Plan Involving Robot Named Sally

A school district in a rural corner of upstate New York is hitting pause on plans to deploy an AI-powered, humanoid robot in the classroom after state education officials, teachers, and local residents raised concerns—including over the maker's ties to a company that produces hyper-realistic sex bots. The Salamanca City Central School District's board approved the nearly $60,000 purchase from Realbotix with visions that "Sally," as the stationary robot with long dark hair that can move its arms and hands has already been nicknamed, would enhance the education of high school students studying robotics and technology fields, reports the AP.

But as news of the plan spread in the small community located on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation, parents and teachers worried about how students' personal information would be used. Unionized teachers took aim at Realbotix's sex doll sister company, Intima, even as district officials and the company itself stressed the two manufacturers operate independently.

Salamanca Schools, in social media posts, stressed that "Sally" won't be collecting students' personal information, recording audio or video of its interactions, or sending data back to Realbotix. The robot has also been programmed to steer clear of inappropriate topics such as sex, violence, and gambling, and it won't be able to search the public internet or draw answers from unvetted generative AI services. But for now, the robot pilot remains on hold as the district works through "enhanced student data privacy agreements" with state education officials and continues outreach to the community, according to a statement the district posted Friday on its Facebook page.