New York school deploys AI teaching robot from company linked to sex bots

The first potential steps toward another profession being wiped out by AI are being taken in New York. When students in the Salamanca City Central School District in Western New York return to school in the fall, they will find a new teaching assistant: a robotic one powered by artificial intelligence.

People who don’t understand technology or learning, have always predicted that the new technology will make teachers obsolete.

Over a half-century ago, the educational programming on public television was going to make teachers obsolete.  Julius Sumner Miller acted like an eccentric lunatic, but was very engaging and  instructive.  People like him and Bill Nye, the Science Guy, didn’t replace teachers, but became an additional resource we could deploy.

Located on the Seneca Nation reservation, the rural district will be one of the first to use the humanoid robot, part of Realbotix’s M-Series and named Sally.

This is not some broke-ass tribe school that can’t afford teacher aides.  The cost per pupil at the Salamanca School District is $33 k per student.  Getting an AI robot as a teaching assistant won’t be cheap or easy.

It also uses natural conversation, facial expressions, and real-time interaction to “create engaging, hands-on learning experiences.” Each robot will cost $57,590, which is discounted from the $95,000 list price.

My guess is that someone at Salamanca’s Central Office is dazzled by shiny things, so thought district resources should implement this program.  They imagine it’s going to go something like this promotional photo.

It won’t work because an AI won’t know what natural conversations to have.  A teacher doesn’t just answer questions, but has discussions with a purpose.  Also, children need humans.  Interacting with adults is an essential part of learning.

I suspect this experiment will go less like the promotional literature, and more like the Harry Harlow monkey experiments from the 1950’s.  Those are the experiments where the baby monkeys overwhelmingly preferred a soft, cloth-covered surrogate mother over a wire mother that provided food.

I taught in a high school and never had an aide.  I know many, and they are a mixed bag.

All of them are soft and comforting, like the cloth mother.  They know and care about the whole student.  Dumb, student drama is their forte.  Some don’t necessarily help much with the educational mission.

The baby monkeys didn’t want the wire mother even though it provided food.  I suspect the students won’t want the robot helper even though it will provide answers.