A school district in western New York has paused plans to introduce a humanoid artificial intelligence assistant into high school classrooms following concerns from parents, educators and state officials.

Salamanca City Central School District approved the purchase of a stationary humanoid robot named Sally for approximately $57,590.

The robot was intended to support students studying robotics, programming, artificial intelligence and other technology-focused subjects.

District officials described Sally as a classroom tool rather than a replacement for teachers. Students would have been able to ask the robot questions about subjects such as programming an Arduino board, while also learning how the machine is maintained, updated and repaired.

The planned pilot was placed on hold while the district works with the New York State Education Department on enhanced student-data privacy agreements and continues discussions with community members.

Concerns raised around the programme included the protection of student information, the role of artificial intelligence in instruction and whether a humanoid machine was appropriate for a school environment.

The New York State United Teachers union also criticized the project, arguing that students benefit from relationships and direct interaction with qualified human educators.

Additional controversy surrounded Realbotix because of its corporate connections to businesses associated with lifelike adult dolls and robots.

Realbotix has said Sally was developed specifically for education and was not converted from an adult product.

The company and school district also said the classroom system would operate without open internet access, facial recognition or the recording and transmission of students’ audio and video.

Sally was expected to assist students in 11th- and 12th-grade technology courses under the supervision of teachers.

The project was designed to give students practical exposure to robotics and emerging AI technology in a rural district where access to specialized courses can be limited.

Realbotix originally described the programme as its first humanoid robot and AI teaching-assistant pilot in a United States school district.

The district has not permanently cancelled the programme. It remains paused while officials review privacy protections, educational safeguards and feedback from the local community.

No new date has been announced for Sally’s possible introduction into the classroom.