A school district in a rural part of upstate New York is pausing plans to introduce an AI-powered humanoid robot in the classroom after state education officials, teachers and local residents raised concerns, including the maker’s ties to a company that produces hyper-realistic sex bots.

The Salamanca City Central School District board approved the nearly $60,000 purchase from Realbotix with the expectation that “Sally,” the stationary robot with long dark hair that has already been nicknamed by students and staff, would support high school students studying robotics and technology.

“Having a difficult time programming an Arduino board? Don’t even know what an Arduino board is? Ask Sally and she can explain it,” Superintendent Mark Beehler said Tuesday. “The robot also provides opportunities for students to learn how the robot is maintained, how it is updated with new approved content, and how to troubleshoot issues.”

As word spread in the small community on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation, parents and teachers questioned how students’ personal information would be used. The debate also reflects a broader tension schools are facing as they experiment with AI tools: how to expand access to emerging technology without creating privacy, safety or trust concerns in classrooms that still depend on human oversight. Unionized teachers focused on Realbotix’s sister company that makes sex dolls, even as district officials and the company said the two businesses operate independently.

“A robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms,” said Melinda Person, president of New York State United Teachers.

For now, the robot pilot is on hold while the district works through “enhanced student data privacy agreements” with state education officials and continues outreach to the community, according to a statement posted Friday on the district’s Facebook page.

State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said she remained concerned about the robot’s role in the classroom even after her staff met with district officials.

“Although you confirmed that the robot would not have any role delivering classroom instruction, a recent presentation to the board characterized the robot as a ‘tutoring platform,’ ” Rosa wrote in a letter to the district Friday.

She also repeated residents’ concerns about the privacy and security protections that would be in place.

Unionized teachers suggested the project could be an opening move toward replacing flesh-and-bone educators. “Sally” will be able to move her arms and hands but have nonworking legs.

“Our students don’t need robots,” Person said. “They need real relationships with caring adults.”

Beehler said the pilot, which also includes a virtual, AI-powered teacher’s assistant and an at-home tutoring program, is not intended to replace staff.

“There is no possible way a robot can replace a human in a school,” he said Tuesday. “Even if it were possible, it would in no way be in the best interest of students. Teaching is a human-to-human process.”

Beehler, who was connected to Realbotix through a former colleague, said the Las Vegas-based company was a natural fit because its robots are already programmed with WozEd, a curriculum from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak that the district uses.

Last year, a San Diego charter school rolled out two AI-powered robots purchased from Engineered Arts, a United Kingdom-based robotics company, for $500,000.

Salamanca Schools said in social media posts that “Sally” will not collect students’ personal information, record audio or video of interactions, or send data back to Realbotix.

The robot has also been programmed to avoid inappropriate topics such as sex, violence and gambling, and it will not be able to search the public internet or draw answers from unvetted generative AI services.

Instead, all information on “Sally” will be stored locally, and the life-sized robot will consume roughly the same amount of energy as a laptop, according to the district.

Realbotix said Tuesday that student authentication would be handled through the district’s existing systems, and any student-linked information would remain encrypted and under the district’s control.

The company also rejected suggestions that “Sally” was simply a repurposed sex doll, saying it was a “newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit” with no modified hardware.

The school’s robot comes from Realbotix LLC, which focuses on healthcare, education and other nonadult commercial applications. A sister company, Intima LLC, holds an ownership stake in RealDoll, a longtime maker of sex dolls, including a line of AI-powered models billed as the “world’s most advanced sex robot.”

“Realbotix LLC and Intima LLC have different product offerings with no crossover,” the company said in a statement last week. “The two subsidiaries maintain their own management, personnel, payroll, facilities, manufacturing operations, product development, and market strategies.”

Beehler said it is important for isolated districts like Salamanca, located along the Allegheny River near the Pennsylvania state line, to find new ways to bring advanced technology into classrooms.

“In most cases, our students need to travel 1-2 hours to have opportunities to see emergent technology,” he said Tuesday. “One of the intents of the robot is to help level the playing field and motivate students to continue studying robotics, AI, and STEAM related career pathways.”

Some Salamanca residents remain unconvinced.

Joplin Ficek, who graduated from Salamanca High School in 2024 and now works at a daycare, said she sees no reason to give robots or AI such a prominent role at her former school.

“They just need to hire more people who are willing to put in the effort for the children,” Ficek said. “They need more interaction with the children than having some robot raise our kids.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com