A Charter School Spent $500k on AI-Powered Humanoid Robots. Was It Worth It?
Officials at a charter chain known for credit recovery made a couple of big-dollar purchases in the form of ChatGPT-powered robots. Researchers are skeptical they’re worth the dough.
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Sign up for The Morning Report with all your must-read news for the day. In a strip mall in the sleepy San Diego neighborhood of Tierrasanta is one of the newest additions to San Diego’s education system. It stands 6 foot 2 inches, with a dull gray silicone face. Under its bald, transparent skull, purple lights pulse. Its bright blue eyes blink and flit from side to side. Its brow scrunches and its lips purse, creating a disconcerting simulacrum of emotion. All the while, the exposed motors in its elbows and shoulders whirr. Its name is Ameca, and it’s been touted by school officials as the “world’s most advanced AI-powered humanoid robot.” It’s one of two such ChatGPT-enabled robots purchased by local charter chain Altus Schools which, combined, cost them $500,000.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Voice of San Diego.
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