Washington — For the first time in history, a robot, not a person, escorted the first lady of the United States Wednesday at the White House.
Escorted by a walking, talking humanoid system, first lady Melania Trump pitched the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit on AI robots as potential, “personalized” educators for America’s children in their homes. Not only can AI share a depth and breadth of knowledge, she said, but it can also patiently help children develop “deep critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities,” achieve a “more well-rounded lifestyle” as they make time for other activities and become a “more complete person.”
“The future of AI is personified,” the first lady said, seated alongside French first lady Brigitte Macron and other spouses of world leaders. “It will be formed in the shape of humans. Very soon, artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility. Since our environment is designed for people, humanoid systems are uniquely suited to navigate and operate within our world. They fit well.”
“Imagine a humanoid educator named Plato,” she continued. “Access to the classical studies is now instantaneous. Literature, science, art, philosophy, mathematics and history. Humanity’s entire corpus of information is available in the comfort of your home. Plato will provide a personalized experience, adaptive to the needs of each student. Plato is always patient, and always available. Predictably, our children will develop deep critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities. The AI-powered Plato will boost analytic skills and problem solving and adopt in real time to a student’s pace, prior knowledge and even emotional state. The byproduct — a more well-rounded lifestyle for our children, freeing up time for being with friends, playing sports and developing interests beyond school. A more complete person.”
She said companies like Meta, Microsoft, Open AI, Google Zoom and Adobe serve as catalysts for discovery. Still, the first lady warned that the safety of the next generation is always paramount, and optimism must be weighed with caution.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The first lady offered more reasons integrating robots into children’s lives — saying that AI is future, and America’s children must become the most technologically fluent in the world.
“America, we are obligated to ensure that our children become the most technologically fluent and highly educated generation in the world,” she said. “In doing so, the United States will secure long-term and economic superiority. This will drive GDP expansion, attack global investment, and put our nation in control of arguably the most important asset in the future, intellectual property. Let’s inspire our children to build new platforms, create new industries and optimize production across all sectors.”
The summit the first lady hosted is one of a number of White House events focused on AI, as the Trump administration chooses to seize on the future of the technology.
Her comments came just hours before a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for creating products that led to harmful and addictive behavior by young users in a landmark decision that could set a legal precedent for similar allegations brought against social media companies.
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