Melania Trump usually captures attention in any room she enters, but on Wednesday, all eyes —and cameras— focused on her humanoid companion. This is Figure 03, an advanced third-generation robot that escorted the first lady during the inaugural summit of the global coalition Fostering the Future Together. The scene, loaded with technological symbolism, began as Melania Trump and the humanoid walked slowly, side by side, down the red carpet from opposite ends of the hallway.
After scanning the attendees, the robot took the floor to address the audience: "Thank you, First Lady Melania Trump, for inviting me to the White House. It is an honor to be at the inaugural meeting of the global coalition Fostering the Future Together." The automaton, developed by the Californian company Figure AI, proudly introduced itself: "I am Figure 03, a humanoid built for the United States of America," adding, "I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education."
After greeting in ten different languages, the first lady joked about the nature of her companion: "It is fair to say that you are my first humanoid guest manufactured in the White House." The event was not just an engineering demonstration. The roundtable included counterparts from over 40 countries, including globally relevant figures such as Olena Zelenska (Ukraine), Brigitte Macron (France), and Sara Netanyahu (Israel). The main objective of the initiative, originally launched at the UN General Assembly, is to "ensure that every child can thrive in the digital age."
Melania Trump made a call for joint action between nations and tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI to cultivate the skills that young people need in a changing job market. The first lady's vision is ambitious: "Let's inspire our children to build new platforms, create new industries, and optimize production in all sectors, from media and fashion to health and defense. Let's foster the future together." While Figure 03 made history in politics, its original purpose is much more everyday.
The company Figure AI designed this model for people to use at home and assist with household tasks such as laundry, cleaning, and dishwashing. With this demonstration, the firm's CEO, Brett Adcock, expressed being "proud to see F.03 make history as the first humanoid robot in the White House," positioning his company at the forefront compared to competitors like Tesla or Boston Dynamics.