An AI-backed robot teacher pilot program that was already under fire over privacy concerns has hit another bump in the road.
Teachers and parents had expressed concerns about having AI in the classroom and the possible replacement of humans, but that was before the latest revelations came to light.
‘It can help students engage with educational material and gain hands-on exposure to AI and robotics.’
Realbotix, the company behind the program, planned to implement “Sally,” a fembot of sorts with “lifelike appearance” that included silicone skin and long, brown hair. Sally was to be an in-classroom teacher who addressed students’ questions based on their identification codes, which are numbers assigned to the kids.
The pilot targeted high school students in the Salamanca City Central School District, which is reportedly located on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation in New York state, according to Spectrum News 1.
As word of the program spread, the New York State Education Department stepped in to put a pause on the program to ask questions about privacy and intent. However, it has since been revealed that Realbotix shares the same parent company as another company involved in the production of sex dolls.
Parent company Realbotix Corp. operates both Realbotix LLC for “commercial robotics” and Intima LLC, which manufactures products “for the adult wellness and companionship market,” according to Morningstar. The Associated Press further reported that Intima LLC holds an ownership stake in RealDoll, which creates sex dolls.
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The teachers’ union has since caught wind, with president Melinda Person stating that “a robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms.”
The New York State United Teachers rep further stated, “Our students don’t need robots. They need real relationships with caring adults.”
Blaze Media reached out to Realbotix to ask about student privacy and its connection with using the bots for “companionship.”
A spokeswoman said the technology is meant to serve as a classroom resource for older high school students who participate in the district’s science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics curriculum.
“Like a calculator, laboratory apparatus, or other instructional tool, it can help students engage with educational material and gain hands-on exposure to AI and robotics, but it does not perform the work of a teacher,” Jessica Starman told Blaze Media on behalf of Realbotix.
“Characterizations suggesting that the technology would replace teachers or assume their responsibilities are false,” she said.
Starman addressed media reports that “falsely connected” the school project to adult products, stating that the Salamanca robot is a “newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit; no existing consumer product or hardware is being modified or repurposed for the school.”
“No adult-products business has any involvement in the Salamanca project or in any product or initiative developed by Realbotix LLC,” Starman further explained.
As for student privacy, Realbotix said the robot would not be connected to “public internet” and does not record audio, video, nor use facial recognition.
“Realbotix would not receive, access, or store personally identifiable student information or student interactions,” the spokeswoman added.
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The company said it has no additional school deployments to announce at this time, and local news reports say the pilot program remains on pause.
The district previously said it was working through “enhanced student data privacy agreements” with state education officials, but it is unclear what will be done moving forward.
“The physical robot has not been deployed,” Realbotix said.
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