Students in the Salamanca City Central School District in western New York will be assisted by a robot this coming fall. The humanoid is not intended to replace teachers, but will serve as a support to teachers and students.
According to a report from the New York Post, the school district will introduce a $57,000 robot named “Sally.” It will have brown hair, latex skin, and can move its arms and hands. It will also speak with a western New York accent.
“It’s exciting but also a bit nerve-racking,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Beehler told the outlet. “Not everyone is open to much change in education,” he said. “There was a point in time where people argued ‘Why do teachers need email accounts?’ or ‘Do we really need to have the internet in school?’ This is the next iteration of that. And the reality is, AI is already in schools.”
“Sally” will be used in 11th and 12th grade classroom where it will assist with coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence classes.
First Lady Melania Trump described the beginnings of humanoid teachers as part of her summit centered on integrating artificial intelligence into education. Trump suggested that children could be educated by a “humanoid educator named ‘Plato,’” who could “provide a personalized experience, adaptive to the needs of each student.”
“The AI-powered Plato will boost analytical skills and problem solving and adapt in real time to a student’s pace, prior knowledge, and even emotional state,” she explained, noting that an AI educator could lead to a “a more well-rounded lifestyle for our children – freeing-up time for being with friends, playing sports, and developing interests beyond school. A more complete person.”
