A rural school district in Salamanca, New York has paused a plan to introduce an AI-powered humanoid robot, nicknamed “Sally,” into high school classrooms after concerns from state education officials, teachers, and residents. The Salamanca City Central School District had approved spending nearly $60,000 on the robot from Realbotix to support instruction in robotics and technology, including programming and maintenance skills. After news spread this week, parents raised data privacy questions, and the teachers’ union objected to Realbotix’s links to a sex doll manufacturer. The district says the pilot is on hold while it negotiates enhanced student data privacy agreements and continues community outreach.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.