As first lady, Melania Trump promotes opportunities for foster children, argues for the eradication of online bullying and often travels to military bases in support of soldiers and their families.
She is also very into robots.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Trump appeared at the White House alongside Figure 3, a humanoid, A.I.-powered robot whose uses, according to the company that makes it, include fetching towels, carrying groceries and serving champagne. But Mrs. Trump joins tech executives and some researchers in envisioning a world beyond robot butlery. She is interested in how these robots could cut it as educators.
Both clad in shades of white, the first lady and the visiting robot walked into a gathering of first spouses from around the world, a group that included Sara Netanyahu of Israel, Olena Zelenska of Ukraine, and Brigitte Macron of France. The dulcet tones from a (presumably human) military orchestra played as the first lady and her guest entered the event.
Both lady and robot extolled the virtues of further integrating robots into the educational and social lives of children. In the history of modern first-lady initiatives, which have included building a national book festival (Laura Bush), reshuffling the food pyramid (Michelle Obama) and advocating for free community college (Jill Biden), Mrs. Trump’s involvement of a humanoid robot in education policy was a first.
Figure 3 delivered brief remarks and delivered salutations in several language. With its sleek black-and-white appearance, Figure 3 would fit right in with the first lady’s branding aesthetic, which includes a self-titled coffee table book and movie, not least because the name “MELANIA” was emblazoned on the side of its glossy plastic head.
After Figure 3 teetered gingerly away, Mrs. Trump looked around the room and told them that the future looked a lot like what they had just witnessed.
“The future of A.I. is ‘personified,’” she told her audience. “It will be formed in the shape of humans. Very soon artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility.”
She invited her guests to envision a future in which a robot philosopher educated children.
“Imagine a humanoid educator named ‘Plato,’” she said. “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.”
The first lady has talked about the possibilities of robotics before. She has also warned about the dangers of relying too much on technology. Last fall, flanked by administration officials who work in technology and artificial intelligence, Mrs. Trump’s warning had a bit of gravity to it.
“The robots are here,” she said at a White House event last September. “Our future is no longer science fiction.”
In that event, she also likened embracing A.I. to adopting a productive parenting strategy: “empowering, but with watchful guidance.”
Mrs. Trump’s enthusiasm for using artificial intelligence to teach children mirrors another official initiative within the administration. Last April, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a task force to evaluate and fund private programs that could partner with government initiatives to fold A.I. into curriculums or train educators. Mrs. Trump is not an official part of that task force but used her time on Wednesday to argue to “bring the private and public sector worlds together.”
A spokesman for Mrs. Trump did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday about whether or not Figure AI, the company that produces the robots, had current contracts with the administration or federal government. Figure AI is backed, in part, by Nvidia, the tech behemoth that recently got Mr. Trump’s permission to sell A.I. chips to China, reversing decades of existing technology restrictions against Beijing. Last year, Figure AI said that it planned to produce at least 100,000 humanoid robots in the coming years.
Researchers are split about the benefits of using artificial intelligence to educate children, but some see its potential as a supplemental tool to develop reading and social skills. Last fall, researchers at the University of Chicago’s Human-Robot Interaction Lab published a study that showed that children demonstrated less anxiety when reading to a robot versus a human teacher. In other studies, children have formed social bonds with robots as they have practiced skills including handwriting and completing puzzles.
Researchers also advise caution about turning over a fleet of humanoid robots to educate children. Vivienne Ming, a neuroscientist and A.I. researcher, wrote on the news site CNBC on Tuesday that parents and educators should be involved in making sure that children learn alongside A.I. tools, rather than be taught by them.
“A.I. should never provide the final answer,” she wrote. “Kids can use it to brainstorm or explore, but they must produce their own first draft or solution.”
Marc Beckman, an adviser to Mrs. Trump, told Turning Point USA on Wednesday that the first lady had also invited representatives from the Alpha School, an A.I.-powered private school, to participate in the summit with other first spouses. He called Mrs. Trump “ahead of the curve.”
“She’s about impacting people’s lives,” Mr. Beckman said when asked about what Americans should know about the first lady’s platform. “And if they could support her, if they could get around her and help stand up these missions of empowering children through education and technology, it would be amazing.”
Mrs. Trump views herself and her potential in similar terms.
“As a visionary, I know success is not born overnight, but rather takes shape after a long and sometimes challenging process,” Mrs. Trump said during a Women’s History Month event held earlier this month at the White House. “Often alone at the top, I follow my passion, listen to my instinct, and always maintain a laser focus.”
Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent for The Times, reporting on President Trump.
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