An Israeli school will be one of the first to deploy an AI teacher’s assistant to help in the classroom. The robot, named Buddy, will not replace the teacher but will help with tasks like lesson planning and finding resources, giving teachers more time to connect with students and focus on such aspects of growth as social-emotional learning.

The robot will be deployed to a high school near Haifa called ISTS Kiryat Bialik that is part of the Israel Sci-Tech Schools (ISTS) network, which was founded in 1949 and serves about 100,000 students across 264 schools in 54 cities.

“When we first set out to implement AI in Israel’s education system, we knew that its primary purpose must be to strengthen and enhance the work of teachers,” Meirav Zarbiv, deputy director general and head of the Innovation and Technology Administration at the Israeli Education Ministry, said in an interview.

The round plastic robot, about the size of a large housecat, encases a computer with a screen that projects a smiley face, with a camera bar placed above the screen. It glows with blue circular LED lights and comes equipped with speakers so it can play sound and communicate with students and teachers.

Without replacing the main role of the teacher, Buddy allows teachers “to dedicate more time to individualized student guidance, creative thinking and social-emotional learning, while preserving the central role of the teacher,” Zarbiv added.

In its interactions with students, the robot will help them brainstorm, guide them through assignments and remind them to take short breaks. The students will also learn how to program Buddy to personalize it for their own use, providing a hands-on learning experience in coding and technology.

“Buddy is designed to enhance, not replace, the vital role of our teachers,” said Raya Tubul, director of the ISTS Kiryat Bialik campus. “It allows teachers to dedicate more time to meaningful student engagement while ensuring every child receives personalized attention.”

In addition, students who miss school due to illness or other reasons can access the classroom via an app connected to Buddy, so they can see and hear what’s going on in the classroom.