Western New York district planned a $58,000 classroom robot, then put 'Sally' on hold

A school district in Western New York has put its effort to bring a humanoid robot into a high school classroom on hold after criticism from parents, teachers, and education officials.

The controversy surrounding "Sally" went beyond a single machine, raising questions about student privacy, school spending, and the role artificial intelligence should play in education.

What happened?

July 24, the Salamanca City Central School District said it was pausing its AI classroom pilot while it works through student privacy paperwork with the New York State Education Department and gathers more community input, according to CNY News.

At the center of the proposal was Sally, a $58,000 humanoid robot made by Realbotix.

School officials said the robot was intended to give students another way to access district-approved materials and get homework help. However, critics have argued that the money would be better used on teachers or other classroom resources.

Another concern involved Realbotix itself. The company focuses on AI-driven humanoid robots for sectors such as education, healthcare, retail, and hospitality. But the company's origins are in RealDoll, which was known for manufacturing highly realistic adult dolls.

"A robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms," New York State United Teachers Union President Melinda Person said in a statement. "Our students don't need robots. They need real relationships with caring adults." 

Why does it matter?

The debate touches on issues many families now face as schools explore emerging technology.

One major concern is how student data would be handled. Supporters of the pilot said exposure to AI could help prepare students for the future in which these tools are common across many careers. They also pointed to the district's claim that Sally would neither gather personally identifiable information nor record conversations or connect to public internet-based AI systems.

AI tools may create efficiencies, but they also raise concerns about misuse, bias, security, and unintended social consequences. In school settings in particular, even the perception of weak privacy protections can erode public trust.

While AI can be used to optimize clean energy systems, improve grid management, and reduce waste, it relies on data centers and computing systems that can consume large amounts of electricity and water. This can strain local energy grids and drive up utility costs. 

What's being done?

For now, Salamanca has paused the program rather than ending it. Before deciding whether to proceed, district officials said they will keep working with the state on stronger student data privacy agreements.

The pause gives the community more time to weigh whether a classroom robot is worth the investment and whether the safeguards in place are sufficient. 

Realbotix said it supports the additional review, per CNY News.

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