First Lady Launches 'Presidential AI Challenge' for Kids

Students are invited to use AI tools to solve community issues
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 27, 2025 2:59 AM CDT
Melania Trump Launches K-12 Artificial Intelligence Challenge
First lady Melania Trump speaks during an event unveiling a U.S. Postal Service Stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, May 8, 2025, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, FIle)

Melania Trump on Tuesday invited students in grades K-12 to participate in a government-sponsored nationwide contest that is designed to encourage them to work together to use artificial intelligence tools to solve community issues, the AP reports. "As someone who created an AI-powered audio book and championed online safety through the Take It Down Act, I've seen firsthand the promise of this powerful technology," the first lady says in a short video announcing the Presidential AI Challenge. "Now, I pass the torch of innovation to you." "Just as America once led the world into the skies, we are poised to lead again," she continued. "This time, in the age of AI."

Every student from kindergarten through 12th grade is invited to "unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation," Trump said. Students who sign up will complete a project using an artificial intelligence method or tool to address a community challenge. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House science and technology office, said the possibilities for the projects are "endless" but the aim of the challenge is to get students to work together since they will use artificial intelligence in adulthood. "We want to have America's youth plugged in and working on and using AI tools," he said Tuesday during an interview on Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends.

The contest was called for in an executive order signed by President Trump on advancing artificial intelligence education for American youth. The first lady announced in May that audio version of her 2024 memoir, Melania, was "narrated entirely using artificial intelligence—in my own voice." Registration for the challenge opens Tuesday on the website . An adult mentor or teacher must sponsor a team. Submissions are due by the end of December. Regional competitions will be held in the spring, followed by a White House event with the national winners, Kratsios said.

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