On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) pushed back on Melania Trump’s vision of AI-powered robot teachers after a humanoid robot took center stage at a White House education summit.
Humanoid Robot ‘Figure’ Steals Spotlight At White House Summit
A humanoid robot developed by Figure drew attention as it appeared alongside Trump at the Fostering the Future Together Initiative Global Summit.
Standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall, the robot demonstrated its ability to walk, turn and address the audience.
It also greeted attendees in multiple languages and said, “Thank you First Lady Melania Trump for inviting me,” before waving and exiting the stage.
The summit brought together participants from more than 40 countries to discuss artificial intelligence and the future of education.
Melania Trump Envisions AI Teacher ‘Plato’ For Personalized Learning
During her keynote, Trump outlined a future where humanoid robots could serve as educators.
“Imagine a humanoid educator named ‘Plato,'” she said. “Humanity’s entire corpus of information is available in the comfort of your home.”
She added that such systems could deliver highly personalized instruction, saying the AI teacher would be “always patient and always available,” helping students develop critical thinking and independent reasoning skills.
Gavin Newsom Responds With Blunt Rejection
The idea quickly drew criticism from the official X handle of Newsom’s office, which reacted to a video of the moment on social media with a terse response: “…how about no.”
Research Raises Concerns Over AI’s Impact On Critical Thinking
The remark by Newsom underscored growing skepticism around replacing humans with machines. Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi noted that layoffs tied to AI are on the rise, pointing to Block Inc.’s job cuts as an example of AI playing a significant role.
Meanwhile, a 2025 research paper by Michael Gerlich found that frequent reliance on AI tools may weaken critical-thinking abilities due to cognitive offloading.
Another academic paper indicated that humanoid robots are more likely to augment teachers rather than replace them, shifting educators’ roles while providing round-the-clock, personalized support.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Sheila Fitzgerald on Shutterstock.com
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