US First Lady Melania Trump unveils AI contest for students, entries open till December

US First Lady Melania Trump recently invited students from kindergarten to grade 12 to join a nationwide contest sponsored by the government. The contest is aimed to encourage students to work together and use AI tools to solve problems in their communities. In a short video announcing the Presidential AI Challenge, Melania said “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. 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 further added. “This time, in the age of AI.”She continued saying every student from kindergarten through 12th grade is invited to “unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation”. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House science and technology office, said that the aim of the challenge is to get students to work together since they will use AI in adulthood, adding the possibilities for the projects are “endless”.“We want to have America’s youth plugged in and working on and using AI tools,” he said during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends.”Registration for the contest has already started on the website. As per the contest rules, each team must have an adult mentor or teacher to sponsor them. Entries are due by the end of December. Regional contests will take place in the spring, and national winners will be invited to a White House event, Kratsios said.The contest was created through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump to promote artificial intelligence education for young people in the US.