Melania Trump kicked off Day 2 of her Fostering the Future summit with a special guest — a robot.
The White House crowd burst into applause as the robot joined the first lady for a grand entrance, walking down the cross hall and into the East Room, where it surveyed the crowd.
The humanoid figure kicked off the roundtable with brief remarks.
First lady Melania Trump entered the second day of the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit at the White House with a humanoid robot. REUTERS
The first lady’s robotic friend waving to attendees of the summit. Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images“I’m Figure 3, a humanoid built in the United States of America. I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education,” it said.
The robot then said welcome in 11 different languages: English, Bengali, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Slovene, Ukrainian, Georgian.
The first lady thanked it for being there.
“It’s fair to state, you are my first American-made humanoid guest in the White House,” she said to laughter and applause.
The startup robotics company Figure AI, based in Sunnyvale, California, introduced Figure 03 in October 2025. The third-generation humanoid robot was designed for people to use for help with household tasks like laundry, cleaning and washing dishes, according to the company website.
Melania Trump remarked that “Figure 3” is the first humanoid guest to visit the White House. AFP via Getty ImagesThere were 45 spouses from around the world at the event, including France’s Brigitte Macron.
Melania Trump used the event to argue humanoid systems are uniquely situated to teach children and give them a “more well-rounded lifestyle.”
Robot educators can offer “instantaneous” access to the classical studies and help create a “more complete person.”
The humanoid can provide a “personalized” experience for each child, she said.
The first lady urged the attendants to imagine a humanoid robot teacher named Plato, standing in front of a classroom.
“PLATO is always patient, and always available. Predictably, our children will develop deep critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities,” she said.
The first lady convened the two-day summit to explore the role of technology in education and in children’s lives.
