President Donald Trump’s State-of-the-Union speech last month was notably light on education policy. While actively dismantling the US Department of Education and implementing shameful anti-trans policies at schools, the Trump administration has focused its efforts on AI education in what it frames as an attempt to ensure that young Americans have the “skills and understanding necessary to thrive in the AI-driven workforce.”
Beyond advocating for the use of AI to teach impressionable young minds — the tech’s extensive and well-documented shortcomings be damned — the White House is making it clear that it’s putting it front and center.
During a surreal publicity stunt on Wednesday, First Lady Melania Trump walked down the red carpet of the White House’s Eastern Room next to a black-and-white humanoid robot, dubbed Figure 03, built by US-based company Figure.
Introduced in October, Figure 03 is the company’s third generation humanoid robot, designed to be a “truly general-purpose robot” that can “perform human-like tasks and learn directly from people” through reinforcement learning and AI.
The stunt was part of the White House’s “Fostering the Future Together” initiative, which was purportedly designed to “help children learn, grow, and thrive through the safe and innovative use of advanced technology.”
Today’s summit was attended by a number of other spouses of world leaders, including French first lady Brigitte Macron, and Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine.
The optics of the robot in the middle of an event aimed at fostering children’s education were jarring.
“Thank you, first lady Melania Trump, for inviting me to the White House,” a robotic female voice told the camera after introducing itself.
“I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education,” it continued.
After an awkward and perhaps stunned silence, Trump chimed in.
“It’s fair to state: you are my first American-made humanoid guest in the White House,” she said, followed by nervous laughter.
During her introductory remarks, Trump lauded the robot as the personification of the “future of AI.”
“It will be formed in the shape of humans,” she said in her opening remarks. “Very soon, artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility.”
Trump, however, failed to address growing concerns that AI is proving incredibly damaging, with professors saying that AI is destroying students’ ability to think, undermining children’s social and intellectual development, while teaching them potentially dangerous lessons.
Not long after her brief introductory remarks, which saw her struggling to read a printed script, she left the room, skipping a panel discussion on AI and education and related networking, as CNN reports.
More on AI and education: Professors Say AI Is Destroying Their Students’ Ability to Think
The post Surreal Footage Shows Melania Trump Walking Into White House Summit With Humanoid Robot appeared first on Futurism.
