- A New York school district paused plans to deploy a $60,000 AI humanoid robot named 'Sally' after backlash from state officials, teachers, and residents over privacy concerns and the maker's ties to a sex doll company.
- The robot, from Realbotix, was intended to enhance robotics and technology education, but teachers and state officials raised issues about data privacy, the robot's role as a tutoring platform, and fears of replacing human educators.
- District officials defended the purchase, emphasizing it is not about replacing staff and that the robot stores data locally, avoids inappropriate topics, and uses existing authentication systems.
- Realbotix stated the robot is a purpose-built educational unit separate from its sister company's adult products, with no data collection or internet search capabilities.
- The pilot is on hold while the district works on data privacy agreements and community outreach, with some residents and graduates arguing for more human interaction in schools instead of AI.