Melania Trump: 'The Robots Are Here'

Melania Trump stepped back into the public eye Thursday with a warning: "The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction." Addressing a White House gathering of her AI education task force on Thursday, the first lady said it was the responsibility of leaders and parents to help kids navigate a future driven by artificial intelligence, the BBC reports. "We must manage AI's growth responsibly," she said in her remarks. "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," the first lady said. The New York Times reports that the audience included dozens of "tech types," including OpenAI chief Sam Altman and other CEOs. The first lady has emerged in President Trump's second term with a focus on children and technology. Building on her "Be Best" campaign from her husband's first presidency, she's now championing AI education and was a key force behind the bipartisan Take It Down Act, which outlaws sharing intimate images, whether real or AI-generated, without consent. In an unusual move, she co-signed the bill at the signing ceremony.

Later Thursday, tech leaders including Mark Zuckerberg lavished praise on the president, with Altman thanking Trump " for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president," Axios reports. The gathering, originally planned for the Rose Garden, was shifted to the White House State Dining Room due to inclement weather, the AP reports. Elon Musk was reportedly not on the guest list, though he said in a post on X Thursday that he" was invited, but unfortunately could not attend."