'Inappropriate': Humanoid robot in New York school sparks outrage
What's the story
A humanoid robot, named Sally, is being introduced at Salamanca High School in New York as part of a pilot program. The initiative also includes an AI teaching assistant. However, the move has been met with criticism: teachers deem it "inappropriate," while local Native American residents call it "culturally tone deaf."
Program details
Sally to be available to students 24/7
Sally, the humanoid robot, was bought by the Cattaraugus County School District for $57,590.
A presentation on the program revealed that Sally will function as a closed-loop system but be virtually accessible to students around the clock.
The district is said to be the first in the US to deploy such a humanoid robot and AI teaching assistant combo.
Teacher apprehensions
Teachers raise concerns over software, data storage
The Salamanca Teachers' Association has raised concerns over Realbotix, the company behind the robot.
Lacey Pihlblad, president of the association, questioned the security of their software and data storage practices.
She also stressed that New York state is moving away from excessive technology in classrooms.
"Placing a humanoid robot into the classroom to interact with our children, I believe, is a massive step in the wrong direction," she said.
Union response
'Answer to challenges in education is not more screens'
Melinda Person, president of the New York State United Teachers, said teachers across the state are worried about the robot program.
"Our members in Salamanca and educators across the state are sounding the alarm that this is really inappropriate," she told The Guardian.
"The answer to the challenges in education is not more screens, it's not more algorithms, not more robots."
Cultural concerns
Robot program criticized for being culturally tone deaf
The decision to test humanoid robots in a high school with a large Native American population has also drawn flak.
Nearly 40% of the student body are Native Americans.
Sierra May Abrams, a local resident and substitute teacher at Salamanca High School, slammed the move saying "they chose to experiment on Native American children yet again."
Company response
Concerns raised by New York State Department of Education
A spokesperson for Realbotix did not respond to the criticisms from teachers and Native American residents or the call for a pause from Salamanca Teachers' Association.
The New York State Department of Education's assistant commissioner of public affairs, JP O'Hare, said they had raised serious concerns about student privacy, appropriate safeguards, and the risk that the robot could be used to perform functions that should remain with trained professionals.