The Trump administration advocates expanded AI education to build a future-ready workforce. Purdue University leads the nation by implementing AI graduation requirements, preparing students like Reagan Koester for evolving industries.
An upstate New York school district is bringing a humanoid robot into the classroom this fall, where it will assist with instruction as educators test how artificial intelligence can be integrated into teaching.
Syracuse.com reported Wednesday that students in the Salamanca City Central School District in western New York will have access to a humanoid robot that is not intended to replace their teacher but will serve as a support to teachers and students.
The outlet reported that, during a board meeting last month, the Cattaraugus County school district said it would buy the robot from tech company Realbotix and an AI teacher’s assistant program that gives students the ability to work with the robot on their laptops.
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A humanoid robot will be assisting teaching in classes in upstate New York this fall as educators struggle with how to integrate AI into the classrooms. (Getty Images)
"This deployment in a working school district represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics," said Andrew Kiguel, CEO of Realbotix, whose company is building the robot.
"Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education."
The robot, named Sally, is designed to resemble a human, with silicone skin and long brown hair. It will remain seated but will be capable of a range of facial expressions and upper-body movements.
Kiguel said students will log in using unique ID numbers, allowing the robot to access its previous interactions and tailor its responses to each student's learning history. For example, the robot could recognize a student and continue a discussion from an earlier class.
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