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A New York school district is preparing to do something that sounds like science fiction: bring a humanoid robot into a classroom.
The Salamanca City Central School District will become one of the first in the United States to introduce an AI-powered robot, called “Sally,” to help teach high school students.
But officials are making one thing clear: Sally is not replacing teachers.
The robot, which costs $57,000, less than the average annual salary of a teacher in New York, will join classes at Salamanca High School from September, helping 11th and 12th-grade students learn about coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Sally has brown hair, a human-like appearance and can move her arms and hands. However, despite her humanoid design, she will not be walking around the classroom.
The robot is designed to interact with students and can recognize them through individual logins, allowing it to remember previous interactions and provide a more personalized learning experience.
New York school district to become one of the first in the United States to introduce a humanoid robot in the classroom.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 19, 2026
'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… pic.twitter.com/gYqAL19QK0
A glimpse of the future...or a step too far?
The introduction of Sally has sparked debate about how far artificial intelligence should go inside classrooms.
The school district says the robot is simply another educational tool that can help teachers explain new technologies and encourage students to explore AI.
“Sally” was created by Las Vegas-based Realbotix, a company known for producing humanoid robots, including companion robots.
School officials have promised that robots will “never” replace teachers, saying human connection remains at the heart of education.
Instead, they argue that AI can support teachers by giving students another way to learn, much like computers, email, and the internet eventually became normal parts of schools.
Could Cyprus classrooms see something similar?
While Cyprus schools are not currently introducing humanoid robots, the arrival of Sally raises questions that educators around the world are beginning to ask: Will AI become a regular part of classrooms, and where should the line be drawn between technology and human teaching?
For now, Sally is a classroom experiment in New York. But as artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, the debate over its role in education is only beginning.
*With information from the New York Post
