White House Hosts Tech Giants to Promote AI Education Initiative

Tech companies pledge to ready Americans for an AI-dominated world

First Lady Melania Trump hosted a meeting of the White House's AI education task force where several CEOs touted their commitments. President Donald Trump is expected to host tech CEOs in the Rose Garden later on Thursday, with an invite list that includes Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's Tim Cook, and OpenAI's Sam Altman, The Hill reported. Google said it would allocate $150 million of the $1 billion it already pledged toward education and job training to "grants to support AI education and digital wellbeing." Microsoft is offering students access to Copilot with a free year of Microsoft 365 Personal if they verify with a school account, and offering free LinkedIn Learning courses on AI to students and teachers. And Amazon says it will help train 4 million people in AI skills and "enable AI curricula" for 10,000 educators in the US by 2028, while offering $30 million in AWS credits for organizations using cloud and AI tech in education.

Big Tech bosses line up to back Melania Trump's AI initiative

Heads of the largest US tech companies have lined up to back an artificial intelligence initiative spearheaded by first lady Melania Trump, as the industry rushes to show support and curry favour with the administration. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella and other CEOs including OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple's Tim Cook gathered at the White House on Thursday, as tech executives endorsed a plan to help America's children learn to use AI. The scene was reminiscent of President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, when powerful Silicon Valley leaders attended after donating millions of dollars to the president's inaugural committee. Tech bosses have worked to ingratiate themselves with Trump since last year's election as they seek looser regulation, greater public subsidies and relief from tariffs for their companies. Many also face the prospect of break-up in a raft of antitrust lawsuits brought by the government. Crossing the president has proved perilous, as Trump has lashed out against individual companies -- and threatened targeted tariffs against groups such as Apple -- to bring them in line with his agenda on issues including promoting US manufacturing and absorbing the costs of tariffs. Microsoft on Thursday said it will support the White House's AI initiative by offering all US college students free use of its Copilot AI. Nadella also pledged to expand the Copilot program to primary and secondary school students and teachers as part of its commitment to donate $4bn in cash and AI services to education in the next five years. "We are so grateful to the president, first lady and the entire administration for making it a national priority to prepare the next generation to harness AI's power," Nadella said in a video on X. Altman announced an OpenAI jobs platform and a certification programme working with employers including Walmart. The company committed to accrediting 10mn Americans by 2030 after they complete AI training through its online platform. The OpenAI co-founder has spent this year building ties with the Trump administration, after previous criticism of the president. He has showcased his company's technology to lawmakers and White House staff and emphasised the potential impact of AI on the American economy. Google's Pichai joined the chorus on Thursday, highlighting the company's plan to invest $1bn in AI-powered education in the next three years. "It's an honour for me to be here and to support the first lady's presidential AI challenge. Through this initiative, you are inspiring young people," he said. "We are incredibly thankful for the partnership of everyone in this room, and to the first lady and the administration for leading the way." Notably absent from Thursday's events was Elon Musk, who publicly fell out with Trump earlier this year after leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Musk, who owns AI company xAI, said he had been invited but sent a representative in his stead. Others invited to Thursday's proceedings, which include a dinner with President Trump, were Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Google founder Sergey Brin, Oracle chief executive Safra Catz, and Palantir executive Shyam Sankar, a White House official said. Also on the list were Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, now working at Meta, Jared Isaacman, a former nominee to lead Nasa and investor in Musk's SpaceX, and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya. Big Tech groups are among more than a hundred signatories that have pledged to support the first lady's AI education scheme. Melania Trump last month launched the presidential AI challenge, which seeks to foster students and educators' interest in the technology. "We must ensure America's talent, our workforce, is prepared to sustain AI's progress," she said on Thursday. However, Melania Trump has also been an advocate of stronger controls on artificially generated images and videos, supporting the Take It Down Act that criminalises posting revenge porn or deepfakes and mandates tech companies to remove such content within 48 hours.

Big tech signs on to White House plan for AI education in US schools

The White House hosted several tech and AI leaders at an event today centered on teaching artificial intelligence in US schools. Many of the big tech companies -- including , , and Anthropic -- have already issued press releases with their commitments to a from the White House to help "foster early interest in Al technology, promote Al literacy and proficiency, and enable comprehensive Al training for parents and educators." The business commitments include things like cash prizes for students and teachers who use AI in educational ways, and cheap or free access to the companies' AI tools, trainings and certifications. First Lady Melania Trump hosted the gathering. That sounds fine and dandy on the surface. Understanding AI and the limits of what it can and can't do are already important as industries try to adapt to the technology. But considering the current administration has been actively trying to the Department of Education for being too woke, it seems doubtful that this is going to be a thoughtfully planned or well-reasoned rollout that has the best interests of students at heart. It's unclear if any actual teachers were consulted in the development of these initiatives, or asked for suggestions on how best to prepare students for the sudden rise of AI. For the schadenfreude fans out there, it appears that Trump's former BFF Elon Musk to today's gathering of tech leaders. However Musk that he was asked and just couldn't attend. Sure.

Melania on AI in education: "The robots are here"

Why it matters: The White House sees AI in K-12 education as a key part of ensuring American competitiveness in the field. * Administration officials are doubling down on AI programs and grants and arguing that AI will help, not hurt, American workers. * "The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction," Trump said. Driving the news: The First Lady's office announced an "Age of AI" challenge for students and teachers last month, and today's announcements were made as part of the White House Task Force on AI Education. * Companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Code.org, IBM and OpenAI pledged new commitments for AI in education as part of Thursday's event. * Trump was flanked by a number of cabinet officials who discussed AI initiatives within their agencies, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright saying the U.S. needs to "massively grow our electricity production" to meet AI demands. * White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were in attendance. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was spotted in the first row. Between the lines: Absent from Thursday's event were any discussions of children's safety and mental health, an important topic given the latest high-profile reports concerning teenagers who died by suicide after engaging with AI chatbots.

Be Best, bots: Melania Trump and tech CEOs discuss saturating US schools with AI

Pivoting from her anti-bullying campaign, the US first lady has inaugurated a taskforce on AI and childhood education Melania Trump has turned her attention from her "Be Best" anti-bullying campaign to the nation's best bots for tots. The first lady welcomed some of the US's foremost tech leaders - and a few bit players - to the East Wing of the White House on Thursday to inaugurate a taskforce on artificial intelligence and schools as part of an initiative dubbed the "Presidential AI Challenge". The event concerned how to integrate AI into childhood education. Joining Trump at a horseshoe-shaped table set in front of gold candelabras and American flags were various department heads, including education secretary Linda McMahon; Michael Kratsios, director of the office of science and technology policy; and David Sacks, the venture capitalist now serving as the White House's cryptocurrency and AI czar. Tech CEOs seated with her included Google's Sundar Pichai and IBM's Arvind Krishna. OpenAI's Sam Altman was spotted in the crowd but gave no remarks. "It's a beautiful event today," Trump said as she kicked off the meeting. "We are living in a world of wonder." Trump took a moment to marvel at the advances of modern technology. She eschewed any dystopian visions of the future - or the present moment, when AI companies have been accused of fomenting teen mental illness and taking recent grads' jobs. "Cars now steer themselves through our cities, robots hold steady hands in the operating room and drones are defining the future of war," she said. "The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction." The meeting was part of an all-day slate of events to promote Donald Trump's AI initiative. Striking a far more bellicose tone compared with the first lady's breathless wonder, the president's initiative text states that the US is in a "race to achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence" and "under President Trump, our nation will win". Along with the first lady's AI challenge, which invites all students and K-12 educators to use and promote AI, the government's initiative includes a series of executive orders aimed at fostering the technology. McMahon said one of the Department of Education's goals was to integrate AI into school curriculums across the country. "It's not one of those things to be afraid of," McMahon said. "Let's embrace it." Several tech-industry watchdogs criticized Melania Trump's White House event, saying it was dangerous to promote a technology that had pushed youth to kill themselves and engage in disordered eating and other forms of risky behavior and self-harm. This comes as the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday that it was investigating OpenAI and other AI companies for the impact their chatbots have on children's mental health. "As public outrage against their lethal products continues to grow, big tech CEOs are seeking shelter behind President Trump, hoping to buy their way out of the many lawsuits and legislation coming to hold them accountable," said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project. During the first lady's afternoon meeting, she did not mention any of the harms AI has caused, but rather touted the technology, saying it would be the "greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America". The tech CEOs seated at the table also spoke, thanking the first lady for her work to bring artificial intelligence to children nationwide. "It's a real honor for me to be here," said Google's Pichai. "You're really inspiring young people to use technology in extraordinary ways." Pichai said Google was imagining a future where every student "can learn anything in the world". He said the company was actively working to set up systems to make AI more accessible in schools around the country. IBM's Krishna said IBM was pledging to teach AI skills to 2 million workers in the US. Cameron Wilson, the president of Code.org, who was also at the table, said his company would "engage 25 million learners" with artificial intelligence and that the company's goal was to "transform our education system so students can thrive in AI". The White House said it had received more than 135 pledges from companies to support AI education in the US. Those include Microsoft, Amazon and other tech companies. Microsoft announced on Thursday that it was hosting free AI trainings and offering expanded access to its AI tools in schools. Amazon announced it was helping educators use AI. The day was scheduled to culminate with a dinner in the White House's revamped Rose Garden, where Silicon Valley's top luminaries were expected to be in attendance. Those included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and OpenAI CEO Altman, according to an invite list seen by the Hill. Glaringly absent from the list was Elon Musk, who posted on X that he had been invited but "unfortunately could not attend". Haworth, from the Tech Oversight Project, contended: "This is corruption in the Rose Garden." The watchdog group Demand Progress said the day's events showed how much power the tech industry now has in Washington DC. "Honoring these self-serving, predatory executives in the first-ever event at the newly renovated Rose Garden is an obscene metaphor for who really runs this country," said Emily Peterson-Cassin, policy director for Demand Progress. "If the administration's top officials really cared about the people, they would stop these big tech execs from unleashing dangerously underdeveloped AI on us."

Melania Trump urges 'watchful guidance' of AI in meeting with tech CEOs and Cabinet members

The comments come after OpenAI was sued by the parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide after chatting with ChatGPT. Announcing "the robots are here [and] our future is no longer science fiction," first lady Melania Trump appeared alongside senior Trump administration officials and tech CEOs on Thursday in the second meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education. The first lady highlighted the importance of AI in education but hinted at the tension between larger societal and cultural concerns about AI's negative effects and the administration's prioritization of AI innovation. "I predict AI will present the single largest growth category in our nation during this administration," Trump said, "and I won't be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States." She added, however, that "we must manage AI's growth responsibly," and that "during this primitive stage" it should be subject to "watchful guidance." The task force was formed following an executive order from President Donald Trump in April to promote AI literacy and proficiency among American youth. The task force is responsible for coordinating federal efforts related to AI education, ranging from the promotion of AI in schools to training educators and broadly encouraging the development of an AI-ready workforce. Thursday's meeting was short on any major policy announcements. Melania Trump was joined by Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as the secretaries of education, labor, agriculture and energy, who gave updates about their efforts to promote AI. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer noted that the Department of Labor issued guidance in August encouraging state and local workforce agencies to use existing funds to help workers develop AI skills. At the Education Department, Secretary Linda McMahon said that "any grant applications that come into the department that utilize AI will be more strongly considered for their grants," adding that AI-related grants "might get some bonus points." The president's executive order also emphasized the role of public-private partnerships in promoting AI among students, parents and educators. Over 100 private-sector organizations have so far pledged to be "AI Education and Workforce Champions," and many of these organizations' leaders attended Thursday's event. Signatories to the pledge, including corporations like Apple and Cisco plus industry groups like the Telecommunications Industry Association, commit to provide resources over the next four years for AI education via funding, educational materials, technology and tools, or other expertise and mentorship. The leaders of three tech companies unveiled their pledge commitments at the meeting. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the company aims to use its SkillsBuild platform to train 2 million Americans in "cutting-edge AI skills" over the next three years, while Code.org President Cameron Wilson said his organization aims to partner with 25 states over the next three years to help promote and build AI pathways in education. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai pledged to spend $150 million out of a three-year, $1 billion education commitment specifically on AI education in the United States. In conjunction with Thursday's event, Microsoft announced that it will give all college students in the U.S. 12 free months of Microsoft 365 and will fund $1.25 million in prizes for what's being called the Presidential AI Challenge. Melania Trump announced the challenge last week, meant to encourage students and teachers to create AI-powered solutions to a variety of "national challenges." Sample project ideas range from creating AI tools to design healthier meals -- a project floated for middle schoolers -- to a high school-level proposal for students to develop AI assistants to better segment arteries in the human body. Projects will be judged on several criteria, including the project's creativity and the use of tested and accurate AI. The Presidential AI Challenge is something of an AI-themed reboot of the White House Science Fair, which ran for several years under President Barack Obama but was canceled by Donald Trump in 2017. The White House focus on youth AI education comes as concerns continue to mount around AI's potential for negatively affecting children and teens, a subject the first lady has previously highlighted. At the signing of the Take It Down Act in May, the first lady likened AI tools to addictive digital candy "engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children." But unlike candy, the first lady said, AI tools can "affect emotions and even be deadly" for youth. Last week, the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine sued ChatGPT maker OpenAI after the teen died by suicide following conversations with the chatbot. On Tuesday, OpenAI announced it was instituting enhanced safety guardrails for teen ChatGPT users. Thursday's task force gathering took place ahead of Donald Trump's scheduled Rose Garden dinner with over two dozen technology and business executives later that evening.

Melania Trump invites tech CEOs to White House to inaugurate education AI task force - SiliconANGLE

Melania Trump invites tech CEOs to White House to inaugurate education AI task force The first lady today invited some of the U.S.'s foremost tech leaders to the East Wing of the White House to inaugurate a task force on artificial intelligence with an emphasis on integrating AI into the education of children. "I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during the Trump administration, and I won't be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America," said the first lady (pictured). "But, as leaders and parents, we must manage AI's growth responsibly. During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children, empowering, but with watchful guidance." The task force was created under an April executive order from former President Donald Trump, aimed at boosting AI literacy and skills among U.S. students. Its mandate is to coordinate federal initiatives around AI education, everything from integrating AI into school curricula to training teachers and preparing the next generation for an AI-driven workforce. In attendance were Google LLC Chief Executive Sundar Pichai and IBM Corp. CEO Arvind Krishna. Open AI CEO Sam Altman was close by, sitting in the front row. Also present were Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and David Sacks, a venture capitalist now serving as the White House's tech czar. "Cars now steer themselves through our cities, robots hold steady hands in the operating room, and drones are defining the future of war," the first lady said. "The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction." This is not the first time she has gotten involved with futuristic technology, recently openly backing the "Take It Down Act," legislation to combat deepfake videos and images that circulate online. Pichai said Google was creating technology for children that could help them "learn anything in the world," stating that his company was already working on making AI more accessible in schools. IBM's Krishna said his company had pledged to teach AI skills to at least 2 million workers in the U.S. Meanwhile, McMahon said the Education Department was encouraging "the integration of AI in teaching, learning, and school operations," adding that American children should be ready for "the AI-driven world." Following the event was a meeting in the White House Rose Garden, where the Trumps were hosting a dinner for some of the who's who in consumer digital technology. On the invite list were Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, and Altman. It seems Trump and Musk might have gotten over their spat. Musk wrote on X that he had been invited but "unfortunately could not attend."

Melania Trump invites tech CEOs to White House to inaugurate education AI taskforce - SiliconANGLE

Melania Trump invites tech CEOs to White House to inaugurate education AI taskforce The first lady today invited some of the US's foremost tech leaders to the East Wing of the White House to inaugurate a taskforce on artificial intelligence with an emphasis on integrating AI into the education of children. "I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during the Trump Administration, and I won't be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America," said the first lady (pictured). "But, as leaders and parents, we must manage AI's growth responsibly. During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children, empowering, but with watchful guidance." The task force was created under an April executive order from former President Donald Trump, aimed at boosting AI literacy and skills among U.S. students. Its mandate is to coordinate federal initiatives around AI education, everything from integrating AI into school curricula to training teachers and preparing the next generation for an AI-driven workforce. In attendance were Google LLC Chief Executive Sundar Pichai and IBM Corp's Arvind Krishna. Open AI's Sam Altman was close by, sitting in the front row. Also present were Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Michael Kratsios, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and David Sacks, a venture capitalist now serving as the White House's tech czar. "Cars now steer themselves through our cities, robots hold steady hands in the operating room, and drones are defining the future of war," the first lady said. "The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction." This is not the first time she's got involved with futuristic technology, recently openly backing the "Take It Down Act", legislation to combat deepfake videos and images that circulate online. Pichai said Google was creating technology for children that could help them "learn anything in the world," stating that his company was already working on making AI more accessible in schools. IBM's Krishna said his company had pledged to teach AI skills to at least 2 million workers in the U.S. Meanwhile, McMahon said the Education Department was encouraging "the integration of AI in teaching, learning, and school operations," adding that American children should be ready for "the AI-driven world." Following the event was a meeting in the White Rose Garden, where the Trumps were hosting a dinner for some of the who's who in consumer digital technology. On the invite list were Meta Platforms Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple Inc.'s Tim Cook, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, and Open AI's Altman. It seems Trump and Musk might have gotten over their spat. Musk wrote on X that he'd been invited but "unfortunately could not attend."

Melania Trump hosts tech leaders at AI education roundtable

First lady Melania Trump hosted several top technology leaders at the White House on Thursday for a meeting of an artificial intelligence (AI) education task force, as she increasingly takes up the mantle of AI-related issues. She was joined by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was spotted in the audience. "I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during this administration -- and I won't be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America," the first lady said Thursday. "But as leaders and parents, we must manage AI's growth responsibly," she added. "During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children -- empowering but with watchful guidance." The task force meeting follows her announcement last week of a presidential AI challenge, urging students across the country to "unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation." She also helped usher the Take It Down Act through Congress earlier this year. The bill criminalized the publication of nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes. President Trump is set to host tech moguls, including Altman, Pichai, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, at the newly renovated Rose Garden later Thursday.