BILL NUMBER: S10671
SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to humanoid robots and
artificial intelligence avatars in instructional settings
 
PURPOSE OF BILL:
Requires school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative
educational services to adopt written policies prohibiting the use of
artificial intelligence-enabled humanoid robots in instructional capaci-
ties and governing their other uses.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one:
1. Defines "artificial intelligence-enabled humanoid robot" and
"instructional capacity";
2. Requires every school district, charter school, and board of cooper-
ative educational services to adopt a written policy governing the use
of humanoid robots in schools. Such policy must prohibit the use of
artificial intelligence-enabled humanoid robot in an instructional
capacity.
Section two establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Artificial intelligence-enabled humanoid robots are designed to simulate
human appearance, emotion, and social interaction. When deployed in
instructional roles, these technologies can blur the distinction between
human educators and machines, particularly for young children and other
vulnerable students who may struggle to distinguish authentic human
relationships from artificial ones.
Schools play a critical role in fostering healthy social and emotional
development. Students should build relationships with qualified educa-
tors and school staff, not with artificial intelligence designed to
mimic empathy, conversation, and companionship. This legislation estab-
lishes clear guardrails by prohibiting AI-enabled humanoid robots from
serving in instructional roles while preserving the use of other educa-
tional technologies that support, rather than replace, human educators.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.