‘Really inappropriate’: teachers decry plan for humanoid robot in New York high school

Salamanca High School in New York is preparing to deploy a humanoid robot named Sally as part of a new pilot program. The district purchased the unit for $57,590 to act as an AI teaching assistant. This marks the first time a US school district has introduced a humanoid robot into a classroom setting for student interaction.

Teachers and local union leadership are voicing strong opposition to the plan. Lacey Pihlblad, president of the Salamanca Teachers’ Association, expressed concerns regarding data privacy, potential recording capabilities, and the overall impact of such technology on student development. The union is calling for an immediate pause on the implementation to allow for more scrutiny of the software and hardware involved.

Members of the Seneca Nation also raised significant concerns about the choice of location for this pilot. Given the history of boarding schools in the region and the trauma experienced by Native American families, some residents view this experiment as culturally insensitive. Critics note that a significant portion of the student body at Salamanca High School belongs to the Seneca Nation.

Realbotix, the company providing the robot, maintains that the program is designed to complement existing staff rather than replace them. However, officials at the New York State Department of Education have expressed serious reservations regarding student privacy and the potential for machines to perform tasks that require human judgment. The debate highlights growing tensions over the role of automation in public education.