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The controversy and pause surrounding the planned deployment of a humanoid robot at Salamanca High School on Seneca Nation territory, including objections from state education officials, the teachers union, Native American residents, and the school board's decision to halt the pilot.
The Salamanca City Central School District has paused a $60,000 plan to deploy a humanoid robot called Sally in a high school classroom after state education officials, teachers and local residents raised concerns over the company's background and student data privacy.
The Salamanca Teachers' Association and the New York State United Teachers have called for a halt to the deployment of a humanoid robot at Salamanca High School, citing concerns over the company's background, student data privacy, and the appropriateness of placing a human-like machine in classrooms. Native American residents and local leaders have also criticized the pilot program, saying it is culturally insensitive to test the technology on a school located on Seneca Nation territory where nearly 40% of students are Native American.