In remarks delivered from the White House for a national Zoom webinar, Melania Trump urged students to treat AI as a creative tool, not a substitute for judgment.
WASHINGTON—First Lady Melania Trump used a virtual address to thousands of classrooms Friday to pitch artificial intelligence as a once-in-a-generation accelerator of learning and creativity—while cautioning students not to let the technology do their thinking for them. (The White House)
Speaking in opening remarks for “Zoom Ahead: AI for Tomorrow’s Leaders,” a national learning event hosted by Zoom, Mrs. Trump described an “Age of Imagination” in which curiosity can be satisfied “almost magically, in seconds,” and argued that the decisive skill in the AI era is not memorization but asking better questions. (The White House)
The event—scheduled for Jan. 16 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific via Zoom Webinar—was positioned by the company and the White House as part of a broader push to build AI literacy for K–12 students and educators, with a particular emphasis on responsible use. (Zoom)
“Age of Imagination,” “intellectual freedom”
Mrs. Trump’s prepared remarks read like a motivational address aimed at demystifying AI for young audiences: a student who wants to design fashion, write music, or create an animated superhero series can now use AI tools from home to draft concepts, characters and scripts. (The White House)
But the core of the speech was less about software than mindset. “In the new AI era, the most powerful skill is knowing what to ask, why it matters, and how to think beyond the first answer,” she said, urging students to be “stubbornly curious” and to “question everything.” (The White House)
Her closing message, however, drew a bright line between generation and meaning. AI can create “images and information,” she said, but “only humans can generate meaning and purpose.” She urged students to “never surrender your thinking to AI,” warning against treating the technology as a shortcut. (The White House)
A corporate partnership with a classroom pitch
The White House said the initiative is intended to “improve America’s children’s understanding” of AI and to “empower the next generation” to use it in education and later careers, with Zoom as a partner reaching “thousands of schools nationwide.” (The White House)
Zoom, for its part, framed the webinar as part of a wider AI literacy program and emphasized confidence and ethics in adoption. The company’s release said its event is designed to help students understand how AI can be used “responsibly, creatively, and confidently,” and noted that Mrs. Trump would deliver opening remarks live from the White House. (Zoom)
Eric Yuan, Zoom’s chief executive and founder, echoed the responsible-use theme, arguing that the spread of AI in learning and work makes literacy and ethical norms essential for students and educators. (The White House)
The politics of AI education
Mrs. Trump has increasingly made technology and youth-focused education a signature lane, using the language of national competitiveness alongside personal development. The Zoom release quoted her as saying students and educators have a “unique chance to get ahead” by learning AI early, positioning literacy as a workforce advantage and a way for communities to shape, not simply absorb, technological change. (Zoom)
The White House statement also tied Friday’s remarks to a broader agenda, noting that Mrs. Trump had called on the international community at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly to join her efforts and that she plans to host an inaugural meeting of a related initiative, “Fostering the Future Together,” at the White House this spring. (The White House)
A simple message for a complicated technology
For all the talk of “imagination,” the subtext of the address reflected a debate that has moved quickly from Silicon Valley to school districts: how to harness AI’s ability to draft, summarize and generate media without weakening core skills like reasoning, writing and judgment.
Mrs. Trump offered a practical rule of thumb: use AI to widen the field of ideas—but keep ownership of conclusions. “Be intellectually honest with yourself,” she said. “Use AI as a tool—but do not let it replace your personal intelligence.” (The White House)
In an era when students can produce a passable essay or a polished slide deck in minutes, the First Lady’s prescription was old-fashioned: do the hard part yourself. The technology may be new; the standard she set was not.
Jan 16, 2026 White House Washington , DC