'The robots are here' — Melania Trump walks alongside creepy humanoid at White House summit like it’s the most normal thing in the world | Tech Radar

Overview

'The robots are here' — Melania Trump walks alongside creepy humanoid at White House summit like it’s the most normal thing in the world

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Details

First Lady Melanie Trump then touted a robot teacher

When US First Lady Melania Trump said last year, "The robots are here," we had no idea she was being literal. On Wednesday, we witnessed the spectacle of the US First Lady strolling down the East Room hallway with a Figure 03 humanoid robot by her side

The occasion was the kick-off of the second day of her summit, "Fostering the Future Together", which focuses on children and their education through technology.

As Figure AI's robot carefully strode down the hall, the First Lady walked wordlessly beside it, offering a cheerful smile that only faded when Figure 03 crossed in front of her and then quickly marched out into the East Room. Mrs. Trump then appeared ready to speak, but suddenly the robot wandered into view, in front of the dais, where it stood silently for a moment before thanking Melania Trump for the invite to the White House.

The world's first 'biomimetic AI robot' is here – and yes, it's super-creepy

Futuristic humanoid robots go viral in China – and leap ahead of Tesla's Optimus

Tesla thinks you might mistake its next Optimus robot for a human

Figure 03 then added that it's built in the US (though no one has done a thorough inventory on the provenance of its components). Then the robot waved and said "welcome" in 11 languages before walking out of camera range.

Ah, but Figure 03 wasn't done. The humanoid bot reappeared behind the dais and carefully walked behind the event attendees as Mrs. Trump looked on. Finally, everyone took their seats, and Mrs. Trump confirmed that Figure 03 just made history, "It's fair to state, you are the first American-made humanoid guest in the White House."

"Figure 03" AI-powered robot accompanies first lady Melania Trump to a White House summit on empowering children with educational technology. pic.twitter.com/RShdfv EG38 March 25, 2026

"Figure 03" AI-powered robot accompanies first lady Melania Trump to a White House summit on empowering children with educational technology. pic.twitter.com/RShdfv EG38 March 25, 2026

The Trump White House and, especially, Melania Trump appear quite enamored with humanoid robots. Back in September, to mark the start of the administration's "White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education," Mrs. Trump said, "The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction." Adding, "I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during this administration."

While the administration has not made robotics a heavy focus of its growing AI initiatives, Mrs. Trump seems somewhat more invested. During Wednesday's event, she spoke openly about the potential for a robot teacher, one she appeared to call "Play-Dot."

"Imagine a humanoid teacher called 'Play-Dot'. Access to the classical studies is now instantaneous. Literature, science, art, philosophy, mathematics, and history; humanity's entire corpus of information is available in the comfort of your home."

This robot teacher would, Mrs. Trump claimed, offer students personalized experiences and always be patient and available. "The AI-powered Play-dot will boost analytic skills and problem-solving," she added.

WATCH: Melania Trump Suggests Using Humanoid Robots as Teachers Moving Forward - 03/25/26 pic.twitter.com/23l KPl D87k March 25, 2026

WATCH: Melania Trump Suggests Using Humanoid Robots as Teachers Moving Forward - 03/25/26 pic.twitter.com/23l KPl D87k March 25, 2026

First Lady Trump went on to say that this robot teacher could help free children to spend time being with friends, playing sports, "and developing interests beyond school."

Robots in 2026 — the rise of Terminator this is not

Humanoid robots are 'stepping out of the lab and into the real world' to take the jobs we don't want - so get ready for the rise of the robot coworkers

I asked a robot to serve me snacks at Nvidia GTC 2026 - here's how it went

It's not clear if Figure 03, which could cost roughly $20,000 per humanoid, could even fill that educational role. It is, however, designed for the home. Figure AI claims it's autonomous and has ample sensors, including some in its hands, for safe home use. As of this writing, though, Figure 03 still isn't for sale.

First Lady Trump did not conflate this fictional robot teacher with the very real Figure 03 robot that just left the room, which is probably for the best, since it looked far from ready to teach a nation's children.

But these are early days. Stay tuned for more robots in the White House (maybe frenemy Elon Musk's Tesla Optimus will get an invitation), and no, we're not talking about the politicians.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow Tech Radar on You Tube and Tik Tok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on Whats App too.

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 The Fitbit Inspire 3 is 'a great entry point to the health and fitness-tracking world' — and it's back to its lowest price at Amazon

2 Top LLM Py Pl package compromised to steal user details - here's what we know

3 We’ve tested them all: Every Geekom mini PC deal worth buying at Amazon

4 Anthropic gives Claude Code new 'auto mode' which lets it choose its own permissions

5 Banish slow speeds and dead zones with these Netgear Wi-Fi 7 router deals up to $100 off in Amazon's Big Spring Sale

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• 'The robots are here' — Melania Trump walks alongside creepy humanoid at White House summit like it’s the most normal thing in the world

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• First Lady Melanie Trump then touted a robot teacher

• When US First Lady Melania Trump said last year, "The robots are here," we had no idea she was being literal

• The occasion was the kick-off of the second day of her summit, "Fostering the Future Together", which focuses on children and their education through technology