美国纽约州Salamanca City Central School District因公众关切而暂停采购Realbotix公司的人形教育机器人"Sally"的计划[1]。该学区原计划花费约60,000美元购入这款AI驱动机器人[1]。
家长和教师对该机器人的来源提出疑虑，担忧Realbotix与生产性爱机器人的Realdoll存在关联[1]。教师工会主席Melinda Person表示："一个由与性爱机器人相关公司生产的机器人不应该出现在我们的课堂上"[1]。此外，社区还对学生数据隐私和机器人在课堂中的具体角色表示担忧[1]。
Realbotix公司否认了改装说法，声称Sally是"新制造的、专门构建的教育单元"，无改装硬件[1]。该机器人已编程避免涉及性、暴力、赌博等不当话题，不收集学生个人信息，也不进行录音或录像[1]。
纽约州教育委员Betty Rosa在信函中表示仍对机器人在课堂中的角色感到担忧[1]。学区主管Mark Beehler强调："机器人根本不可能取代学校中的人类"[1]。
Salamanca City Central School District in New York has suspended its plan to purchase an educational humanoid robot called Sally from Realbotix, following public concerns about the company's connection to adult robotics [1]. The proposed acquisition, which would have cost approximately $60,000, faced opposition from parents and teachers who questioned whether Sally was a repurposed sex robot rather than a purpose-built educational unit [1].
Concerns centered on multiple issues, including student data privacy and the appropriateness of deploying a robot produced by a company affiliated with Realdoll, which manufactures sex robots [1]. Melinda Person, president of the teachers' union, stated: "A robot produced by a company associated with sex robots should not be in our classrooms" [1]. New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa expressed ongoing concerns about the robot's role in educational settings in correspondence to the district [1].
Realbotix disputed characterizations of Sally as a modified sex robot, asserting instead that it is a "newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit" with no repurposed components [1]. The company noted that the robot has been programmed to avoid inappropriate topics including sexuality, violence, and gambling, and does not collect student personal information or record audio or video [1]. School District Superintendent Mark Beehler added that "a robot simply cannot replace human beings in schools" [1].