A school district in Salamanca, New York, is introducing both an AI tutor and a humanoid robot into classrooms as part of a new pilot program with tech company Realbotix.

The AI system, called Optio, will act as a 24/7 personalized tutor and classroom assistant, while the robot will interact with students in person using speech and facial expressions.

The program will begin with high school students in an AI and robotics course and could later expand to around 500 students.

School officials say the technology is designed to support teachers, provide safe and controlled AI access, and improve student learning rather than replace instruction, Yahoo Tech has reported.

If successful, the pilot could be expanded to other school districts after evaluation of student engagement and performance outcomes.