Former sex robot pioneers Realbotix have been forced to distance themselves from not only their past as a sex robot producer, but also their present as an “AI companion” company. The reason is a backlash against their plans to introduce their realistic humanoids as teachers in a number of New York district schools, leading to viral headlines claiming that sex robots will soon be teaching your kids. The stock price for the publicly listed company (CVE: XBOT) has fallen almost 20% in the last five days, and are down over 6% today.
Currently, one rural NY school is ready to introduce “Sally” into the classroom this Fall. The use of AI in education is a sensitive issue without a former sex doll company being the first to introduce a female robot teacher into an American school. Both Realbotix and Salamanca City Central School where keen to stress that Sally was an aid to teaching rather than a replacement teacher. Salamanca Superintendent Mark Beehler “emphasized the importance of safety and privacy, noting that the robot and avatar operate on a closed system that is not connected to the internet, and that Realbotix will not have access to personally identifiable student information“.
Another sensitive aspect to the story is that Salamanca is the only incorporated city in the United States located entirely within a Native American reservation, and 32% of students at the school identify as Native Americans. One local parent objected to the plans on the potential impact of AI on the environment. But it’s when the mainstream media got hold of the story and remembered that Realbotix was spun out of premium sex doll manufacturer RealDoll, and for much of its history was explicitly trying to create sex robots, that the real controversy began.
Whilst Realbotix, under new ownership, has undergone something of a brand remake in the last year or two, distancing itself from its RealDoll and sex robot origins, it hadn’t formally abandoned the goal of making AI companions. In fact, although it has ostensibly been more focused upon commercial applications of its humanoids recently, it has continued to explicitly describe itself as an AI companion company, with the stated goal of ending a “loneliness epidemic”. This might have changed in response to the backlash over sex doll teachers, at least according to Superintendent Mark Beehler, who is quoted as saying that “Realbotix does not manufacture companion dolls.” Granted, Beehler is a representative of Salamanca school, rather than Realbotix, and perhaps he is merely separating Realbotix from the sex dolls of RealDoll. But it’s still a little concerning for fans of sex tech, especially coming so soon after China’s ban on sex robots and AI companions.
**Updated 27th July 2026 – Introduction of Sally to New York School Now “Paused”.
After a furious backlash from teachers and parents, the plans to introduce the Realbotix humanoid teacher has been put on hold.
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/schools/2026/07/after-backlash-upstate-ny-school-district-pauses-plan-to-add-humanoid-robot-to-classroom.html
A Western New York school district has halted its plans to place a humanoid robot in a classroom after a New York Focus report on the plan sparked fierce debate over the use of artificial intelligence in schools and backlash from local parents.
Salamanca City Central School District announced in a Facebook post Friday afternoon that its pilot project with tech company Realbotix has been put on hold as school officials “work through enhanced student data privacy agreements” with the state education agency and engage with community members.
The news comes hours after state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa sent a letter informing Salamanca Superintendent Mark Beehler that “the Department remains concerned about the effect that a humanoid robot may have within a high school classroom.” According to the letter, the department met with the district to discuss the robot plan earlier this week.
“Many parents, teachers, and stakeholders are understandably concerned about the presence of artificial intelligence technology in classrooms, particularly when it involves robots that resemble humans,” Rosa wrote.
The district had planned to introduce the robot to high school students this fall, along with an artificial intelligence teacher’s assistant program that allowed students to interact with an avatar of the robot on laptops. The $57,590 investment was approved at a local school board meeting last month.
