Robot joins Melania Trump at White House event to tout AI teachers

A humanoid robot walked down a red-carpeted White House hallway on Wednesday, accompanying U.S. first lady Melania Trump into an event where she urged greater use of artificial intelligence in education.

The human-shaped robot, which introduced itself as "Figure 03," joined Trump in the East Room to welcome dozens of first spouses from around the world to the technology-focused "Fostering the Future Together" summit.

"I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education," the robot said, greeting guests in 11 languages.

Trump said Figure 03 was the first American-made humanoid guest at the White House, and used its appearance to promote the need for governments and major technology companies to work together to use AI for student instruction.

"Very soon artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility," she said.

The first lady, a former model, described how in the near future a hypothetical humanoid teacher could quickly access classical studies, mathematics and other subjects to deliver personalized education to students based on their learning speed and "emotional state."

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who is carrying out President Donald Trump's agenda of downsizing the federal education department, smiled from the front row as the first lady talked about shaking up education.

"We can accelerate civilization's march forward when enterprise delivers innovation, government creates scale and our capital markets finance the distribution of these emerging technologies," Trump said.

The president's wife also warned of technological dangers, a concern echoed by France's first lady Brigitte Macron, who touted her country's moves to restrict screen time and social media for children.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump appointed Meta CEO Mark ‌Zuckerberg, Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to a council that will weigh in on AI policy and other issues. The president has framed AI as ​a defining arena of strategic competition with China.

China has been showcasing its own cutting-edge humanoid robots as Beijing pushes to dominate the emerging field.

The first lady noted the global competition over intellectual property and said embracing AI-directed learning would add to U.S. "long-term economic superiority."

-Bo Erickson/Reuters