A school district in upstate New York has suspended plans to deploy a $60,000 artificial intelligence-powered humanoid robot in its classrooms after learning the manufacturer is linked to a company that produces hyper-realistic sex dolls. The decision halts what would have been the first deployment of its kind in a U.S. public school.

A pilot program that sparked immediate backlash

The Salamanca City Central School District, located on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation, approved a $57,590 contract in June with Realbotix to bring the robot, nicknamed "Sally," into classrooms to support high school students studying robotics and technology. Superintendent Mark Beehler defended the purchase, saying the machine could help answer basic technical questions, such as programming an Arduino board, and stressed the program was never meant to replace teaching staff.

The RealDoll connection

Controversy erupted after parents, teachers and union representatives pointed out that Realbotix is affiliated with Intima LLC, a company holding a stake in RealDoll, a longtime sex doll manufacturer that also produces AI-powered models. New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person argued that a company with those commercial ties has no place in a classroom. Realbotix responded that Sally is a "newly manufactured unit, purpose-built" for educational use, with no operational link to sex doll production.

Data privacy becomes a second flashpoint

Beyond the ethical concerns, questions arose over how the district would handle sensitive student information. Officials said in social media posts that Sally does not record audio or video, lacks facial recognition, has no internet access and does not transmit data back to the manufacturer. Despite those assurances, pressure from the community and state education officials led to the program's suspension while new privacy agreements are negotiated.

What comes next for the district

The district said the plan remains on hold while it works with state education officials on "enhanced student data privacy agreements." No timeline was given for resuming the pilot, which also included an AI virtual assistant for teachers and at-home tutoring support as part of the broader initiative.

A precedent left unresolved

Salamanca is not the first U.S. district to explore AI robots in classrooms: last year, a San Diego charter school introduced two units from British firm Engineered Arts at a cost of $500,000. Still, the New York controversy has laid bare how far communities are willing to go when technology brushes up against intimacy and commercial interest, leaving the future of similar programs in public education uncertain.