NY Focus: New Bill Would Ban Humanoid Robots in Schools After New York Focus Report

Salamanca School proposal ignites powerful backlash against Ai robots in NY schools

By Melissa Manno, education reporter, NYFocus.com

“This is the first step in what’s going to be a much larger conversation about AI in New York schools,” the Senate education committee chair said.

State senators introduced a bill Thursday that would ban New York school districts from using humanoid robots in classroom instruction.

The first-of-its-kind proposal came in response to a New York Focus report about a Western New York school district’s plan to use one as a teaching assistant.

Salamanca City Central School District was set to become one of the first in the nation to bring a humanoid robot into the classroom this fall, as part of a partnership with a tech company called Realbotix. The robot and an accompanying digital avatar, both powered by artificial intelligence, would have given students personalized learning support.

New York Focus’s reporting on the plan drew national attention and backlash from local parents over the use of AI and robotics in schools.

Now, some lawmakers want to prevent Salamanca or any other school district from making similar investments.