Event Summary

This edition of MIT Technology Review’s The Download highlights two technology stories: schools are looking for smarter ways to guide AI use in the classroom, and a robot “carnival” outside Shanghai shows how humanoid robots are being presented to the public.

• Education: Cheshire Academy trains teachers in general AI-use techniques rather than prescribing specific tools; one teacher has developed a traffic-light system to tell students when they can use AI for assignments
• Industry: At a robot carnival outside Shanghai, humanoid robots performed drunken boxing and front flips for an enthusiastic audience
• Context: More than 13,000 two-armed, two-legged robots were delivered globally last year, and nearly 90% were made in China

Education: From Prohibition to Guided Use

Chatbots caught schools off guard. Students suddenly had an app on their phones that could answer almost any homework question or generate an essay in seconds. That forced educators to reconsider whether AI should be banned, tolerated, or brought into the classroom under clearer rules.

The original report notes that organizations ranging from OpenAI to UNESCO encourage AI use in schools. But many teachers still face a practical question: not whether AI exists, but how it should be used. Cheshire Academy offers one emerging approach: train teachers in general techniques for using AI, rather than locking instruction around a specific tool.

The key is turning AI use into a classroom rule that students can understand and follow. One teacher at the school created a traffic-light system to tell students when they may use AI for assignments. Instead of treating all AI use as cheating, this kind of framework recognizes that some tasks may benefit from AI-assisted brainstorming, while others require independent work to assess real understanding.

The school has also explored specialized tools, including an AI platform for educators. For other schools, the broader lesson is not necessarily to copy a specific product, but to help teachers understand AI’s capabilities and limits before integrating it into lesson design.

Industry Frontline: Shanghai’s Robot Carnival

At the main tent of a robot “carnival” on the outskirts of Shanghai, applause rang out as a humanoid robot in a glittering top performed drunken boxing. Another humanoid robot completed a front flip, prompting the audience to chant: “More, more, more.”

Such showcases matter because humanoid robots are receiving significant attention in China. The original report describes them as part of the country’s strategy to bring AI into daily life. It also notes that more than 13,000 two-armed, two-legged robots were delivered globally last year, with nearly 90% made in China.

Public exposure is important. Progress in humanoid robotics remains slow in many places, and live demonstrations can help people understand both what these machines can do today and where their limitations remain. Events like this function not only as technical showcases, but also as public-facing education.

The newsletter’s “must-reads” section also mentions concerns that Chinese robotics could be a bubble after Unitree’s shares fell 45% following its IPO debut. At the same time, China continues to replace some factory work with robots, and its robotics firms are becoming more dominant. That contrast suggests that market sentiment and industrial deployment do not always move in lockstep.

Final Thoughts

Classroom AI and humanoid robots may seem like separate stories, but they raise a similar question: technology alone does not determine success; the human-machine coordination system around it does.

Cheshire Academy’s traffic-light approach is about controlled and explainable AI use. Shanghai’s robot carnival is about public experience and familiarity. Together, they point to a broader lesson for AI adoption: capability matters, but so do rules, context, and participation.