New York bill would ban AI humanoid school robots from teaching
New York state senators have introduced legislation that would bar school districts and charter schools from using AI enabled humanoid robots for classroom instruction, according to the Press-Republican article, which cites New York Focus reporting on a planned deployment in Salamanca.
The bill follows Salamanca City Central School District’s plan to bring a Realbotix humanoid named Sally into a high school classroom this fall. The robot was described as having lifelike silicone skin, long hair, upper body movements, and facial expressions. Paired with an AI powered digital avatar, Sally was expected to provide personalized learning support.
Salamanca later put the project on hold after state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa sent the district a letter expressing concern about “the effect that a humanoid robot may have within a high school classroom.” The district said it was working through student data privacy agreements with the state.
A bill aimed at embodied AI in classrooms
The proposed legislation would require districts and charter schools to adopt written policies prohibiting AI enabled humanoid robots from carrying out teacher responsibilities. The named duties include classroom instruction, one to one instruction, tutoring, and grading.
The proposal is narrower than a general classroom AI restriction. It targets AI humanoid school robots as physical classroom agents, not only software tools or chatbots. For humanoid developers, that distinction is significant enough without stretching the facts: lawmakers are reacting to the social role created by a humanlike machine in a school setting.
Senate Education Chair Shelley Mayer said she introduced the bill after reading the New York Focus article and called Salamanca’s plan a “glaring mistake of judgment.” She argued that education depends on human interaction, socially as well as academically, and said humanoid systems should not be marketed to schools for instructional roles.
Realbotix CEO Andrew Kiguel pushed back, saying the technology is meant to assist educators rather than replace them. He told New York Focus that the Salamanca project had not yet been deployed and said a statewide prohibition before a live pilot or evaluation would be premature.
“Making a sweeping statewide prohibition on that basis, before any facts or evidence exists, is a premature step.”Andrew Kiguel, Realbotix CEO
Policy fight extends beyond the robot
The humanoid bill sits within a wider debate in New York over educational technology. The New York State United Teachers union has called for strict limits on AI and screen time in schools, and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced a purchasing freeze for educational technology until procurement guidance is finalized.
Senator Kristen Gonzalez, a cosponsor of the humanoid robot bill, said schools should adopt only technologies backed by evidence. She said there is no research on how AI powered robots affect children’s social and emotional development.
The state Senate and Assembly also passed Gonzalez legislation earlier this summer restricting AI chatbots from interacting with minors when they include certain unsafe features. That measure is awaiting the governor’s approval. Gonzalez said it would have required Salamanca to ensure its avatar program was safe for children and did not include features that encourage emotional attachments with minors. Salamanca and Realbotix have said the avatar is programmed only to discuss education and would alert administrators to flagged topics such as suicide and self harm.
The legislature is expected to consider the humanoid robot bill when it reconvenes in January.
Source: pressrepublican.com
