US school pauses humanoid robot plan after link with sexbot company raised

US school pauses plan for humanoid robot after concerns about sexbot sister company Wed 29 Jul 2026 at 11:57am , updatedWed 29 Jul 2026 at 12:06pm In short: A school district in rural upstate New York has paused its plans for an AI-powered, humanoid robot called "Sally" in the classroom. Parents and teachers raised concerns about the maker, Realbotix, having ties to a company, Realdoll, that produces hyper-realistic sexbots, privacy and data worries and the robot's role in the classroom. The company pushed back at suggestions that "Sally" was simply a repurposed sex doll, saying it was a "newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit". 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 concerns about the maker's ties to a company that produces hyper-realistic sexbots. The Salamanca City Central School District's board approved the nearly $US60,000 ($86,000) purchase from Realbotix, with visions that "Sally," as the stationary robot with long dark hair has already been nicknamed, would enhance the education of high school students studying robotics and technology fields. But as news 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. Unionised teachers aimed at Realbotix's sex doll sister company, Realdoll, even as district officials and the company itself stressed the two manufacturers operate independently. "A robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms," Melinda Person, president of the union New York State United Teachers, said. For now, the robot pilot remains on hold as the district works through "enhanced student data privacy agreements" with the state education officials and continues outreach to the community, according to a statement the district posted on its Facebook page. Concerns about robot's role New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said she remained concerned about the robot's role in the classroom even after her staff met with district officials. "Although you confirmed that the robot would not have any role delivering classroom instruction, a recent presentation to the board characterised the robot as a 'tutoring platform," Ms Rosa wrote in a letter to the district. She also echoed residents' concerns about what data privacy and security protections would be in place. Unionised teachers suggested the effort was a first step toward replacing flesh-and-bone educators. "Sally" will be able to move its arms and hands but has non-working legs. "Our students don't need robots," Ms Person said. "They need real relationships with caring adults." District officials defend robot purchase School superintendent Mark Beehler said the pilot, which also includes rollout of a virtual, AI-powered teacher's assistant and an at-home tutoring program, is not about replacing staff. "There is no possible way a robot can replace a human in a school," he said. "Even if it were possible, it would in no way be in the best interest of students. "Teaching is a human-to-human process." Mr Beehler, who was connected to Realbotix through a former colleague, said the Las Vegas-based company was a natural fit because its robots were already programmed with WozEd, a curriculum from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak that the district uses. Last year, a San Diego charter school rolled out two AI-powered robots purchased from Engineered Arts, a robotics company based in the United Kingdom, for $US500,000. Salamanca Schools, in social media posts, stressed that "Sally" would not be collecting students' personal information, recording audio or video of its interactions or sending data back to Realbotix. The robot also has been programmed to steer clear of inappropriate topics such as sex, violence and gambling, and it will not be able to search the public internet or draw answers from unvetted generative AI services, according to the school district's social media post. Instead, all information on "Sally" will be stored locally, with the life-sized robot consuming roughly the same amount of energy as a laptop, according to the district. Robot maker responds to criticism Realbotix said that student authentication would be handled through the district's existing systems, and any student-linked information would remain encrypted and under the district's control. The company also pushed back at suggestions that "Sally" was simply a repurposed sex doll, saying it was a "newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit" with no modified hardware. The school's robot comes from Realbotix LLC, which focuses on healthcare, education and other non-adult commercial applications. A sister company, Intima LLC, holds an ownership stake in Realdoll, a longtime maker of sex dolls, including a line of AI-powered models billed as the "world's most advanced sex robot". "Realbotix LLC and Intima LLC have different product offerings with no crossover," the company said in a statement. "The two subsidiaries maintain their own management, personnel, payroll, facilities, manufacturing operations, product development, and market strategies." Opportunity to access emerging technology Mr Beehler argued that it was crucial for isolated districts like Salamanca, which is located along the Allegheny River near the Pennsylvania state line, to find new ways to introduce cutting-edge products into classrooms. "In most cases, our students need to travel one to two hours to have opportunities to see emergent technology," he said. "One of the intents of the robot is to help level the playing field and motivate students to continue studying robotics, AI, and STEAM-related career pathways." Some Salamanca residents, though, remain unconvinced. Joplin Ficek, who graduated from Salamanca High School in 2024 and now works at a daycare, said she did not see any reason to have robots or AI take such a prominent role at her old school at all. "They just need to hire more people who are willing to put in the effort for the children," she said. "They need more interaction with the children than having some robot raise our kids." AP