A lifelike robot named Sally will teach in American schools. This is not as strange as it sounds
New York’s Tasmanian school district made global headlines this week for plans to trial a humanoid robot called Sally in high school classrooms.
Sally has lifelike silicone skin, long brown hair, and the ability to move her arms, head and face while sitting. According to the makers, she uses “natural dialogue, facial expressions and real-time interactions.”
She was programmed to serve as a permanent classroom assistant and as a chatbot to answer questions from students and teachers. She is also available 24/7 to students as an online digital avatar.
The project has been paused due to concerns about student privacy and data storage and tracking.
But how close are we to humanoid robots or AI-enhanced avatars becoming a regular feature in school classrooms?
Robots are no stranger to the classroom
Sally is not the first robot proposed for use in classrooms.
Non-humanoid robots have been trialled in classrooms before. For example, they have been used to help Japanese, Korean, European, and East Asian students learn languages. They are also used in technology courses that teach skills such as coding.
Tools such as Alexa that respond to voice commands have also been trialled in primary school classrooms in New Zealand. Here, results varied by age.
Young children have difficulty asking questions in the correct format to get the answers they want. Older students tested the limits of technology and tested social interactions, such as telling jokes or seeking unusual reactions.
Teachers are also increasingly using generative AI to perform administrative tasks to save time, while chatbots are now regularly used in Australian schools.
For example, South Australia and New South Wales have launched their own generative AI tools for students and teachers.
This growing everyday familiarity may lower the barriers for more advanced human-like technologies to enter the classroom.
Help is here
Research into AI-based avatars has found they can have a positive impact on learning.
They can provide on-demand academic support through personalized learning. For example, patiently solve math problems step by step.
They can also help with self-regulation by teaching strategies and repeatedly encouraging students to apply those strategies over time. For example, “Before you start this equation, take a deep breath.”
Students also reported feeling less stress and anxiety when interacting with AI tutors, who are generally considered less judgmental than teachers.
But we still need real teachers
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The robot simulates warmth, teaches lessons perfectly, and never gets tired or needs a break.
However, there is evidence that these technologies are most effective when used alongside teachers rather than replacing them.
For example, a 2026 meta-analysis of 146 studies on social robots used to teach cognitive skills found that they can improve learning outcomes, especially when they can personalize responses. But this only happens in the presence of a teacher.
But robots used as teacher replacements are unable to manage the complexity of classroom content, respond to spontaneous student behavior, or handle unforeseen events.
Research also tells us that children and young adults learn best when they are not only cognitively engaged, but engaged with others.
They need to build trust and instill confidence through interactions that allow teachers and peers to see, know, and care about them in a human way that is meaningful to all involved.
Data, privacy and more
There are also safety concerns with this technology.
When the robot interacts with a child, the interaction is recorded. This enables the bot to provide targeted, personalized responses. When programmed using generative AI, data can be accumulated and used to inform future interactions with other students.
But this comes with data privacy, storage and tracking risks.
It also raises other questions about who programs and controls the robots, and to what end? What happens if a program or data is hacked?
Can children learn empathy from robots?
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Teachers are in an important position of trust, looking after vulnerable children and young people. There are legislative frameworks and teacher registration boards regulating the professional conduct of teachers, but that does not apply to robots.
Teachers have an obligation to identify, protect, and nurture the best interests of their students. This requires them to make nuanced judgments about an individual’s learning needs, behavior and wellbeing.
This can be difficult to capture with fixed rules or instructions or robot programming.
As the researchers point out, this can also raise concerns about child development if children interact with simulated rather than genuine care and empathy.
What to do next?
There will be no humanoid robots in our classrooms tomorrow. But developments in New York suggest they could become an important option in the future — especially amid ongoing concerns about teacher shortages and workloads.
If we are to move further in this direction, some tough questions need to be answered. We need teachers to be present to ensure they are used in a way that helps and protects students as they interact and learn.
GSP
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
