One Upstate New York School Is About to Welcome a Robot Teacher

Students heading back to school this fall at one Upstate New York school district are going to be greeted by something most schools don't have...a humanoid robot.

If you've been paying attention to everything happening with AI lately, this probably isn't all that shocking. But if you're like me and never thought we'd actually see robots helping teach kids in school, well...here we are.

Robot Teacher Coming to School in Upstate New York

According to Syracuse, the Salamanca City Central School District in Western New York is preparing to become one of the first school districts in the country to introduce a humanoid robot into a classroom. Before you start worrying that robots are replacing teachers, that's not what's happening.

Robot Teacher

Instead, the robot will be used as a classroom assistant designed to help both students and teachers.

Meet Sally, the Robot Teacher Assistant

Sally, which has a lifelike appearance with silicone skin, long brown hair, facial expressions, and upper-body movements, was created by a company called Realbotix and cost the district $57,590. Once introduced, Sally will remain seated in the classroom while interacting with students throughout lessons.

Students will log in using a unique identification code, allowing Sally to remember previous conversations and provide personalized learning support. That means if a student was working on a math problem or science lesson the day before, the robot can pick up exactly where they left off.

How Will Students Use the Robot?

At first, Sally will only be used in Salamanca High School's AI and robotics classes, which already use curriculum developed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to prepare students for careers in technology. If the program proves successful, the district plans to expand its use into other high school classrooms.

SEE ALSO: Big Change Could Be Coming to Daylight Saving Time in New York

Students will also be able to use Sally's AI avatar outside of school hours to get help with homework, upload pictures of assignments for feedback, receive lessons on topics they're interested in, and even translate information into more than 100 different languages.

Sally can also assist teachers during class. If a teacher loses their place during a lesson or needs a reminder about what's next in the curriculum, Sally can provide guidance because it's been programmed using the district's lesson plans.

Robot Teacher

Not Everyone Wants a Robot in School

As you can probably imagine, the announcement has sparked plenty of debate.

Some parents and community members see it as an exciting way to prepare students for future careers in technology. Others worry about introducing more artificial intelligence into classrooms, especially at a time when many schools are already trying to reduce students' screen time.

Safety has also been a major focus. According to the company, the system is designed to recognize conversations involving self-harm, suicide, or other serious concerns and automatically alert school administrators.

Whether Sally becomes the future of education or ends up being nothing more than an interesting experiment remains to be seen. One thing is certain, though...when students head back to school this fall, one Upstate New York classroom will have a teacher's assistant that's unlike anything most of us ever imagined we'd see.