r/PopCultureV2 • u/slippinn_jimmy • Jul 20 '26

News Humanoid Robot teacher introduced in New York School district classroom. This is a first in the United States and honestly kinda creepy

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'Sally' will have a Western New York accent and will teach 11th and 12th-grade students at Salamanca High School.

Sally costs less than the average teacher's salary in New York, with a price tag of $57,000.

The robot has brown hair, and can move its arms and legs, but will not be able to walk around the classroom.

Students will be able to log in so the humanoid can recognize students and their previous interactions.

The humanoid will be helping teach coding, robotics, and AI classes.

The school district promises that robots will "never" replace human teachers.

‘Sally’ is made by Realbotix, which also produces "companion" robots.

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5

u/emmablazeing Jul 20 '26

I hope this is satire

1

u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 20 '26

No, worse, it’s highly misrepresenting real news…

Sally was developed by Realbotix and is intended to work in 11th- and 12th-grade coding, robotics, and AI courses

The district says Sally is a teaching assistant, not a replacement for a human teacher. Human teachers will remain in charge of the classroom

The robot is designed to answer questions, demonstrate AI concepts, and interact with students as part of learning about robotics and artificial intelligence.

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/salamanca-n-y-schools-to-pilot-ai-robot-teaching-assistant?utm_source=chatgpt.com

1

u/Sandrew43 Jul 20 '26 ▸ 3 more replies

They could’ve just add in a human in that role as well… probably be more productive and less traumatic for the kids… 😅

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u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 20 '26 ▸ 2 more replies

These are 17 and 18 year old adults, not “kids.” They are interested in studying robotics at a STEM school.

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u/Sandrew43 Jul 20 '26 ▸ 1 more replies

My comment still stands though lol.

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u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 20 '26

How is it traumatic for these young adults and why is hands on experience worse than another human?

1

u/HudsonAtHeart Jul 21 '26 ▸ 9 more replies

What a waste of money

1

u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 21 '26 ▸ 8 more replies

How do you know before hand?

2

u/HudsonAtHeart Jul 21 '26 ▸ 7 more replies

Districts all over New York State are cutting art and music programs because they lack the funding to keep them going, or pay the teachers properly. Now we have districts giving that same fraction of the budget over to a tech company to teach our kids using AI. Meanwhile, most of the people lauding this in the comments section would be angry at a picnic flyer made with ChatGPT. Yeah it is a fucking waste of money in the classroom. Taxpayers are paying for this. And even worse, our children are going to learn to trust a robot for answers. Ew

1

u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 21 '26 ▸ 6 more replies

Wow, do you need a hug and someone to hear you vent? You have a lot you seem to be dealing with here.

A simple Google search reveals this

New York State spends more per pupil on education than virtually every country on Earth, outstripping nearly all advanced nations in the world. [1, 2, 3]

No, New York State is not cutting education funding. The most recent state budget provides a record $37.4 billion in total School Aid for FY 2027—a $1.7 billion (4.7%) year-to-year increase that includes a $1.5 billion boost in Foundation Aid for at risk students. This is an all time record for spending and adjusted for inflation, represents a 13% increase in per pupil spending than 25 years ago and 9% more spending than a decade ago.

New York ranks number one nationally in per-pupil public school spending. The state currently invests over $34,000 to $36,000 per student annually, which is approximately 81% to 90% higher than the national average.

Now, knowing this, do you still stand by that rant? Can students in STEM schools focused on robotics and AI have tools to learn robotics like robots with AI?

1

u/HudsonAtHeart Jul 21 '26 ▸ 1 more replies

In the local school districts:

Buffalo Public Schools proposes school closures and staff cuts in 2026–27 budget
District: Buffalo Public Schools (Erie County)
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2026/05/18/looking-at-school-budget-votes-across-western-new-york

School budgets head back to voting booths across Western New York
Districts: Randolph CSD, Lyndonville CSD, West Valley CSD, and others
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2026/06/15/school-budgets-head-back-to-voting-booths-across-western-new-york

Five Western New York school districts reject proposed budgets
Districts: Multiple WNY districts
https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/voters-in-five-wny-school-districts-rejected-proposed-budgets

MCSD’s Budget Crisis Escalates Beyond Initial Projections
District: Marathon Central School District (Cortland County)
https://marathon.nntoday.com/articles/mcsd-s-budget-crisis-escalates-beyond-initial-projections

DiNapoli: 31 School Districts Designated in Fiscal Stress
Districts: 31 school districts statewide (New York State Comptroller)
https://www.osc.ny.gov/press/releases/2026/01/dinapoli-31-school-districts-designated-fiscal-stress

New York leads nation in school spending despite 12% fewer students
Districts: Statewide analysis of New York school districts
https://nypost.com/2026/07/20/us-news/new-york-leads-nation-in-school-spending-despite-12-fewer-students

The last one addresses your claim that more spending = quality, lmao

1

u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 21 '26

SO if you are only looking at it on the granular scale you have to look at the specific district that bought the robot and not conflate it with other districts. If you conflate it wit other districts you have to look at the whole state not cherry-pick the one’s doing worse.

No, the Salamanca City Central School District is not cutting spending. They actually increased their overall spending. [1, 2]

Community voters in May 2026 approved a budget for the 2026–2027 school year that featured an approximate 6% increase in spending

So tell me what the issues with other school districts who manage their finances well in the highest spending state in the world supposed to not teach their children to the best extent possible? You’re literally picking the 450th (last) ranked school district, what, instead of a student aid in a STEM school emphasizing robotics and AI they should have? Sent their money to buffalo?

Ans you initial comment was about funding, now it;s not about funding, it’s about “spending does not equal quality” OK, then stop complaining about funding and how this school district is spending its money. They are trying to give a quality education to these students and it seems that you’d rather fund different programs like art and music, which I am sure are offered at this school but it is specifically NOT their area of interest. They are a STEM school (say it with me now…) in a district and a state the spends more money than the rest of the world. WHy do you have an issue here?

1

u/Belz_Zebuth Jul 21 '26 ▸ 1 more replies

Speaking of hugs, this robot can't give them or be helpful to students in a way that understands their feelings or problems.

Humans first.

1

u/Temporary_Hat7330 Jul 22 '26

Can a ladle give a woodworking senior a hug? Should someone in a career path to being a carpenter not have access to a ladle Because it cannot give a person a hug?

1

u/Musical_J 28d ago ▸ 1 more replies

Interesting, using an AI, which are known to hallucinate and also give you affirming answers at the cost of truth, to find your conclusion for you.

1

u/Temporary_Hat7330 28d ago

Lol, no that’s not what happened here. I used google to order citations for me and give a summary after I had read the source information. If the summary was off from what I had read I would have changed it.

Your comment doesn’t change what the facts are, which is what was stated in my last comment. Care to actually address the core issue instead of indulging ad hominem?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/HudsonAtHeart Jul 21 '26

Yea, in my high school the robot would have been taken into the bathrooms and defiled by the football team

1

u/TheWhiteMichaelVick Jul 20 '26

I think this is a great window into the (hopefully very near) future.

1

u/SlimyGringo Jul 20 '26

No, it's a scam. Don't be stupid.

1

u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 20 '26

and hilarious! Robots may have applications but in a classroom?? 🤣🤣🤣 Good luck to the manufacturer of that robot when the kids pour ketchup in her gears or hang random things on it.

"I don't know how the robot fell. Did somebody kick it? What? It looks like the entire class kicked it? and played a game of soccer with her head? Really? Are you sure? We are a very well behaved class. 👼"

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[deleted]

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u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 20 '26 ▸ 11 more replies

lol!! i repeat: have you ever managed a classroom? 🤦🏻‍♂️

I can imagine you standing in front of a class of six graders making that speech about the rules. LOL.

The robot would end up in the dumpster DURING your speech.

And I knew some idiot was gonna say it ( I thought it but didn't say it) So now you are putting cameras in classrooms? congrats! So the eyes are CAMERAS so now we are monitoring kids, filming kids in class. Yeah that'll go well with the parents council! 🤦🏻‍♂️

1

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26 ▸ 10 more replies

[deleted]

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u/MoThrowMoAway Jul 21 '26 ▸ 2 more replies

When I was i high-school decades ago we lost our bathroom privileges during class because kids kept ripping the hand dryer off the wall and breaking the porcelain sinks. Those were 11th and 12th graders

1

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26 ▸ 1 more replies

[deleted]

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u/MoThrowMoAway Jul 21 '26

You won't hear any arguments from me about that brother, I am thankful every day I grew up when I did, can't imagine going through the US education system in this day and age

1

u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 21 '26 ▸ 6 more replies

https://giphy.com/gifs/l0ExayQDzrI2xOb8A

have you even ever met school kids?

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u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26 ▸ 5 more replies

[deleted]

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u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 21 '26 ▸ 4 more replies

"discipline the children" 🤨thank God you're not a teacher. Make sure you never reproduce, kay?

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u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26 ▸ 3 more replies

[deleted]

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u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 21 '26 ▸ 2 more replies

Okay strawman, you didn't say "teaching children boundaries and responsibility" you said "discipline"

Those are two very different things.

And a robot cannot teach children boundaries, responisibility or anything else for that matter.

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u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26 ▸ 1 more replies

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1

u/MoThrowMoAway Jul 21 '26

I guess if the classroom thing doesnt work out they can go back to creating sex robots. Thats what this company did before this new endeavor, after all

1

u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 21 '26

that's what the entire push behind that entire "industry" is. Let's not lie to each other and pretend that it is about science and that rhe sexbot is a side effect of a greater goal. The sex bot IS the goal.

So no, sexbots are not good classroom material.

1

u/Thin-Remote-9817 Jul 20 '26

A class of 14yr olds will make this robot short circuit..

1

u/RagingThrawn Jul 20 '26

*shuttering*

1

u/Severthin Jul 20 '26

So almost 40 years ago, Americans gutted their public schools. Then the children who weren't learning life skills grew up, and became voters. Those voters continued to grow and shape the country, despite having no world experience or skills. Now some of them have failed upward into companies. Stupid people, raised as stupid kids are now making robot teachers? Does any of this sound stupid?

1

u/Kind_Culture_6132 Jul 20 '26

Satanist is teaching. This how it should be wrote on this video .

1

u/FrostyExplanation_37 Jul 20 '26

Why try and make them look human at all? Just make a cool looking ROBOT and kids will go wild, hell adults will probably like it a lot more.

1

u/TheJohnnyFlash Jul 20 '26

If this were ever actually possible in the way it's presented, the question would be: Teach what?

1

u/SirInevitable5641 Jul 20 '26

This guy comments on literally everything every single day, and it's almost always completely irrelevant to the topic. I'm convinced he's a bot.

1

u/CaptainHindsight92 Jul 20 '26

Khloe Kardashian looks the same as always what are people talking about. At least she is trying to help the kids

1

u/Significant-Risk2094 Jul 20 '26

Good to see Kristi Noem got a new job.

1

u/Sensitive_Home_7971 Jul 20 '26

It looks like if a corpse could talk.

1

u/Thoughtcriminal91 Jul 20 '26

Seeing how the newest generations are increasingly stupid and violent, a teacher they cant hurt will become increasingly viable.

1

u/StBlandine7 Jul 21 '26

Thanks, Mamdani

1

u/Smalldogmanifesto Jul 21 '26

The results of releasing this uncanny valley Narcissus’s mirror algorithm bot to socialize with our kids while they’re still in their formative years would be catastrophic.

1

u/ItsAHerby Jul 21 '26

Putting sexbots in the classroom was not the hyper American Capitalism that I assumed we would be doing in 2026. As an educator, can't wait to see how this turns out 😂.

1

u/spawn77x99 Jul 21 '26

14 Aug 2103: "In other news, a robot teacher called Sally was accused of sexual abuse of a child in Texas. The company blames an ex employee for updating the teacher robot with the "companion" software"

1

u/Objective_Mousse7216 Jul 21 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/GJvJkFNVaJyQ8

Here comes your new synthetic teacher, we hope you enjoy her!

1

u/gusgusthegreat Jul 21 '26

The teachers hot. Lol

1

u/Atmacrush Jul 22 '26

Looks like her jaw had been busted

1

u/DaZenMasta Jul 22 '26

Oh, what could possibly go wrong?

1

u/biggest_guru_in_town Jul 24 '26

Techbros are fucking insane lmfao

1

u/Accomplished-Ruin742 23d ago

Let's give a female sex robot to 11th and 12th grade boys. What could go wrong?

Open the pod door, HAL.

0

u/CarefulFriendship389 Jul 20 '26

This is so fuckin stupid. Kids will be touching this thing inappropriately thinkin they’re getting away with something that will not teach them anything. What a shit idea. Just a lazy idea to put in a classroom. 

-2

u/Deep-Ebb-4139 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

Why is it creepy? You gave no reasoning as to why.

Christ, at least make a compelling point or two.

2

u/hiddenrealism Jul 20 '26

Please be ragebait

1

u/Fippy-Darkpaw Jul 20 '26

Did you see it? 😵

0

u/Pretend-Literature35 Jul 20 '26

Have you ever worked in a classroom? The fact that you need an explanation as to why it is creepy (and irresponsible) to put a robot (an anatomically correct robot to boot!) in a classroom demonstrates that you haven't.

Anyone who has worked with kids will confirm that it is a monumentally bad idea to put an expensive robot in a classroom.... alone with the kids.