Melania Trump hinted that her son, Barron, may be helping out on her artificial intelligence ventures.
The first lady on Thursday led a meeting of the White House Task Force on AI Education, with Education Secretary Linda McMahon also present.
McMahon, who months ago mistakenly referred to A.I. as “A1,” admitted that she was “maybe a little to the table later than some as an adapter” of the technology. But her department would be taking advantage of it, she said.
McMahon then turned to Trump and said: “…I bet that Barron is helping you with a little bit of this as well and maybe charging you a little bit with that. I would think so.”
Trump smiled and nodded in response.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast inquiring about the extent of the two’s interactions regarding A.I.
In a statement ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Trump said, “I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during the Trump Administration.”
She added: “…[A]s leaders and parents we must manage AI’s growth responsibly. During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children—empowering, but with watchful guidance. We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare America’s children.”
Trump and her son are close—something that the president has acknowledged.
A rising sophomore at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Barron has been described by his father as adept with technology.
“Is Barron’s aptitude, in your view, business or politics?” Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked the president during a March interview.
“Maybe technology,” Trump replied, though the 79-year-old’s version of what that entails may sound unremarkable.
“He can look at a computer… I turn off his laptop. I said, ‘Oh good,’ and I go back about five minutes later, he’s got his laptop,” Trump recalled. “I say, ‘How do you do that?’”
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