Melania Trump unveils new "age of AI" challenge for students and teachers
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First lady Melania Trump departs the White House in July. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
First lady Melania Trump will lead a new White House-backed challenge that aims to inspire children and educators to become more comfortable with AI, she announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: With AI more commonplace in our lives, the Trump administration has implemented policies to help the U.S. win the AI race on a global scale over countries like China.
Driving the news: The new "Presidential AI Challenge" calls on students to use AI technologies to develop a solution that will "address a community problem or challenge."
- The competition charges K-12 students to use AI tools to develop an app, website or process to help solve their community issue.
- "Just as America once led the world into the skies, we are poised to lead again — this time in the age of AI," Trump said in a video published by the White House.
- The New York Post was first to report the news.
Zoom in: Prizes for the challenge include a $10,000 check, a Presidential Certificate of Achievement, or "Cloud Credits" and access to web-based resources.
- The White House, which published an official guidebook with more details on the challenge, recommended that all elementary students only use age-appropriate AI tools with parental or educator supervision.
What's next: The project submission deadline is in January. State champions will be announced in March, with regionals in April.
- Regional champions will be invited to D.C. in May for an AI-focused event. The national championship will be judged in June.
Context: Trump told the NY Post she hopes to become the "First Lady of Technology," having already been attached to AI-based projects.
- Trump backed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which aims to bolster protections against deepfakes, including those generated through artificial intelligence, and revenge pornography. President Trump signed the bill into law in May.
- An AI-generated replica of Melania Trump's voice was used for the audiobook version of her memoir, "Melania," which was released in October 2024.
What she's saying: "In just a few short years, AI will be the engine driving every business sector across our economy. It is poised to deliver great value to our careers, families and communities," Trump told the NY Post.
- "This is only the beginning," she said. "It is essential that every member of our academic community, including our great educators, administrators, and students rise to this historic challenge with on-going curiosity, perseverance, and ingenuity."
The big picture: The challenge aligns with the aims of President Trump, who views the AI race as something the United States can, and must, win.
- The Trump administration has teamed with Silicon Valley to dominate the AI space. The president also championed the "Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan" earlier this summer, which aims to give the industry less red tape to accelerate advancements in the AI space.
- At an AI summit to promote the plan in July, President Trump said the U.S. would do "whatever it takes" to lead the world in artificial intelligence.
- "America is going to win the AI race... we're going to work hard and we're going to win it," he said. "From this day forward, it'll be a policy of the United States to do whatever it takes to lead the world in artificial intelligence."
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