US First Lady Melania Trump accompanied by robot at White House summit
US First Lady Melania Trump was accompanied not by her husband Donald Trump, but by a humanoid robot during her latest engagement at the White House.
All eyes were on her unexpected companion as they walked side by side into the White House East Room.
The 55-year-old hosted a summit through her Fostering the Future Together global initiative, gathering tech execs and spouses of world leaders such as Brigitte Macron, to discuss ways to empower children using education and technology – in this case, artificial intelligence.
Accompanied by a robot, first lady Melania Trump arrives to attend the "Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit." AP
The pair walked down the red carpet, with Melania pausing to make way for the humanoid as it walked around the table that seated the panelists before taking up the position in the centre of the room, as per AP.
It then addressed the audience and its host.
"Thank you, First Lady Melania Trump, for inviting me to the White House. It is an honor to be at Fostering the Future Together's global coalition inaugural meeting,"the robot said.
"I'm Figure 03, a humanoid built for the United States of America. I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.
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The robot went to the centre of the room, filled with first spouses of world leaders as well as tech companies. AP
It spoke in 11 different languages. AP
"Welcome," it said.
The robot then shared a similar greetings in 10 other languages to accommodate the global audience.
It then thanked everyone and took its leave, going back down the red carpet.
Melania then took over, thanking the robot for its appearance and sharing, "It's fair to state, you are my first American-made humanoid guest in the White House."
She then used the robot's appearance to promote the use of AI for student instruction, pressing governments and major tech companies to work together to create such a future, reports The Age.
The former model shared, "Very soon, artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility."
She floated the idea that such a humanoid robot could become a teacher that could quickly access materials on various subjects and provide a personalised education to students.
"We can accelerate civilisation's march forward when enterprise delivers innovation, government creates scale, and our capital markets finance the distribution of these emerging technologies," she said.
The featured robot was created by startup robotics company Figure AI, based in Sunnyvale, California.
The company first introduced Figure 03 in October 2025 as a third-generation humanoid robot for consumers to use at home for help with household tasks such as laundry, cleaning, and washing dishes.
CEO Brett Adcock shared on social media that he was "proud to see F.03 make history as the first humanoid robot in the White House."
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