A New York High School Is Getting an AI-Powered Robot Assistant. Parents and Teachers Have Concerns
Some New York students and teachers will be returning to classrooms outfitted with an uncanny-looking — and potentially unwelcome — AI-powered assistant come September.
The Salamanca City Central School District, located roughly 60 miles south of Buffalo, signed a $57,590 contract (PDF) with robotics startup Realbotix to introduce AI tools and a humanoid robot into select technology classes in Salamanca City Central High School.
The humanoid robot, named Sally (pictured above), is one of Realbotix’s M-series models. It’s designed to mimic a human appearance, with silicone skin and a wide range of facial movements, though it’s limited to a stationary sitting position.
The Realbotix press release says that the robot “uses natural conversation, facial expressions and real-time interaction” to encourage student participation. Students will be assigned personalized ID numbers to interact with the robot, which will reportedly remember and respond to their learning data and previous questions.
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