New York State teachers are speaking out against the addition of robots in the classroom, pointing out that the company supplying them is “associated with sex dolls.”
The robot in question is an AI-powered robot named Sally, created by robotics company Realbotix. The Salamanca School District confirmed (via a report from WGRZ) that they’re soon taking delivery of one “Sally”, who they have paid $57,590 for and will be used by upperclassmen high school students.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Beehler said at a board meeting earlier this week that she’s “safe for students to utilize, knows the curriculum, the content, the same instructional strategies that the classroom teachers are using” and confirmed she’ll be delivered in the second or third week of August.
“Our students don’t need robots. They need real relationships with caring adults”
In one of the schools in New York, a humanoid robot will begin teaching classes. Students in the upper grades of Salamanca Middle School will be taught by an android named Sally, who speaks with a local Western accent.
— Kordon (@Kordoneuropa) July 21, 2026
The development cost from the company Realbotix is $57,000,… pic.twitter.com/ReKmOkjqwY
Realbotix says this is merely the start:
“Salamanca serves as the flagship deployment for Realbotix’s broader education rollout strategy. The Company plans to measure outcomes in student engagement, concept mastery, and teacher workload reduction, with the goal of establishing a repeatable “AI teaching assistant layer” for additional districts and STEM-focused schools.”
CEO Andrew Kiguel added:
“This deployment in a working school district represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics. We are moving beyond lab demonstrations and pilots to deliver real, embodied AI directly into classrooms — supporting teachers, engaging students, and proving that advanced robotics can thrive in live educational environments. Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education.”
Teachers are horrified, saying, “Our students don’t need robots. They need real relationships with caring adults. Educators notice when students are struggling, celebrate when they succeed, and help them discover who they can become. No robot can do that, no matter how lifelike its skin or specific its regional accent.”
They also say, “A robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms.”
The teachers are referring to Realbotix’s line of more erotically inclined robots. A report on Futurism.com from 2025 details “Aria”, a Realbotix robot “designed specifically for companionship and intimacy.” They quote Kiguel as saying that she can have “what I would say, conversations of a more intimate nature.”
It should be underlined that “Sally”, the robot being sent into New York classrooms, is not a sex robot and will presumably not have “internal heating, lubrication and touch sensor” features.
Regardless, the teachers say they will fight this “thoughtless expansion” of technology, “We will explore every avenue necessary to protect human-centered learning in Salamanca and in every classroom across this state.”
