Melania Trump wants a robot to homeschool your child

At a White House press conference on Wednesday, First Lady Melania Trump appeared with a humanoid robot developed by robotics company Figure AI. The pair walked the red carpet together before the robot gave a brief speech, saying: “I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.”

Shortly after these remarks, the machine left the room and disappeared.

The bizarre scene was part of the First Lady’s newly launched initiative, Empowering the Future, which invited international leaders from around the world to discuss how to empower children through educational technology, including artificial intelligence.

This event easily sparked dystopian dreams of the future—particularly one in which the humble (human) schoolteacher was replaced by a Terminator-shaped butler who could walk and speak Latin. In fact, during her speech, the First Lady asked the audience to envision a future in which a humanoid robot serves as the ultimate teacher for the world’s children. (This event occurred at the same time that the Trump administration announced the creation of a separate technology council that would include executives from Silicon Valley aircraft manufacturers.)

“Imagine a human-like teacher named Plato,” the First Lady said. “Access to classical studies is now instantaneous – literature, science, art, philosophy, mathematics, history – the full range of human information is available in the comfort of your own home. Plato will provide a personalized experience adapted to the needs of each student. Plato is always patient and always available. As expected, our children will develop deeper critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities.”

“Honored to be invited to the White House by First Lady Melania Trump,” the Shape AI X account posted on Wednesday.

The First Lady’s comments are clearly forward-looking and do not reflect where robotics and educational technology are today, or where they will be anytime soon. However, the idea that AI and technology can be used to automate learning (and, in many ways, replace human teachers) is gaining popularity in the technology industry. Such ideas have been repeatedly promoted by the White House.

Over the past year, educational experiments such as Alpha School, a network of private schools that use artificial intelligence to teach children very quickly, have gained significant media attention.

The Trump administration has embraced experiments like these, while at the same time attacking the traditional public education system.

Education Minister Linda McMahon, who is in the midst of abolishing the agency she was tasked with running, also found time to visit the Alpha School campus, where she recently praised the “opportunity” the educational chain promised.

“Alpha School is reimagining K-12 education by equipping students with practical AI skills and preparing them for a rapidly evolving, technology-driven workforce,” the administration recently said of McMahon’s visit.

Likewise, Melania Trump’s event on Wednesday highlighted the role the administration feels the technology industry should play in the future of American education — with Trump acknowledging “the participation of America’s leading technology companies, whose participation reflects the growing role of the private sector in supporting safe and effective educational innovation.”