WASHINGTON—First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday welcomed leaders from around the world, including first spouses, to the White House for day two of the Fostering The Future Together Global Coalition Summit, which is focused on empowering children worldwide through technology and education.
Spouses of heads of state from 45 different nations descended upon the White House for the summit on Wednesday, as did Brigitte Macron of France, Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco, Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan, of the United Arab Emirates, Marta Nawrocka of Poland, Maricel Cohen de Mulino of Panama, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio of Sierra Leon, Gertrude Mutharika of Malawi, and Lt. Col Prindon Sadriu of Kosovo.
OpenAI, xAI, Palanitr, Meta, Google, Adobe, and Microsoft are among the private-sector entities involved in the coalition.
The first lady spoke about the possibilities of humanoid robot educators in the future during her opening remarks.
“The future of AI is personified. 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 told those in attendance.
She shared a vision for an AI educator named “Plato.”
“Imagine a humanoid educator named Plato; access to the Classical Studies is now instantaneous,” she said. “Literature, science, art, philosophy, mathematics, and history; humanity’s entire corpus of information is available in the comfort of your home. Plato will provide a personalized experience adaptive to the needs of each student. Plato is always patient and always available. Predictably, our children will develop deep critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities.”
“The AI-powered Plato will boost analytics skills and problem-solving, and adapt in real-time to a student’s pace, prior knowledge, and even emotional state,” she added. “The byproduct: a more well-rounded lifestyle for our children, freeing up time for being with friends, playing sports, and developing interests beyond school; a more complete person.”
Melania Trump and spouses of other world leaders look on at the humanoid robot featured at the event. Jon Kahn / Breitbart News
The First Lady stressed a balance of optimism and caution.
“The safety of our next generation is always paramount. Knowledge is the foundation of civilization, but although academia is interesting, business is compelling, she added. “For real growth in technology and education, I encourage you to bring the private and public sector worlds together.”
She also compared the advent of AI to turning points in history marked by major technological advances, including the Industrial Revolution, the advent of electricity, the space race, and the creation of the internet.
“This technology may reset the modern world order and rebalance power… Our coalition can make this vision real by supporting concrete initiatives that equip young people with the skills they need: invest, expand access, and foster new opportunity,” she said.
Each member of the roundtable spoke following the first lady, with Maada Bio stressing education is a “lifeline.”
“In Sierra Leone, we believe that education is not just a light. It is a lifeline. It is the bridge between vulnerability and opportunity. It is a bridge between limitation and possibilities,” she said.
“Today, that bridge must be stronger, it must be wider, and it must be smarter because the world our children are growing up in is not the world we inherited from our own parents. The world today, it is digital. It is fast-moving. It is unforgiving to those who are left behind, and so we must act with urgency and with wisdom,” she added.
Tuesday marked the first day of the summit and featured a working session at the State Department among attendees.
