Melania Trump invites K-12 students to participate in nationwide AI challenge contest

BOND. FAKE FRIEND THAT IS THE TITLE OF NEW RESEARCH FROM AN AI WATCHDOG GROUP, AND THE FINDINGS ARE TROUBLING. AI IS FACILITATING HARMFUL INTERACTIONS, PARTICULARLY AMONG TEENAGERS, PROPELLING THINGS LIKE EATING DISORDERS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND EVEN POTENTIALLY DEATH. WXII 12 BETHANY KATE SPOKE WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST ABOUT THE IMPACT OF AI ON MENTAL HEALTH. FIRST, THE DEVELOPERS OF CHATGPT SAY THEY NO LONGER WANT THEIR USERS TO UTILIZE IT AS A THERAPIST OR FRIEND, AND AS A RESULT, THEY ARE NOW PLACING GUARDRAILS TO ENSURE PEOPLE DON’T BECOME TOO DEPENDENT ON THE INSTANT RESPONSE. TECHNOLOGY CAN ONLY TELL YOU SO MUCH, AND I THINK IT’S IT CAN BE VERY NARROW. CHATGPT THE CHATBOT IS NOW SWITCHING THINGS UP AFTER DEVELOPERS SAY IT FELL SHORT IN RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF DELUSION OR EMOTIONAL DEPENDENCY, UNCONSCIOUSLY. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN INPUT THINGS IN A WAY THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WILL RESPOND SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT IS BEING INPUT. DOCTOR DAVID GUTTERMAN, A PSYCHOLOGIST WITH CONE HEALTH, SAYS THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT NEED TO BE INPUTTED BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THE OUTPUT OF TECHNOLOGY. PEOPLE WILL LAUNCH INTO AND GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE OF A PARTICULAR DIAGNOSIS. BECAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE RESPONSES THAT COME OUT OF THE TECHNOLOGY, IT’S IT’S PRETTY CONVINCING. AND SOMETIMES THE LEVEL OF PERSUASION CAN RESULT IN UNHEALTHY REPLACEMENTS. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WILL UTILIZE THE TECHNOLOGY AS EITHER A SUBSTITUTE OR A WAY OF GETTING INFORMATION WITHOUT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, VALIDATING IT. HE SAYS THERE ARE SOME PROS THAT OUTWEIGH THE CONS. NORMALIZING, YOU KNOW, SOME EXPERIENCES PEOPLE HAVE OR CONDITIONS THEY HAVE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, GUIDE THEM TO GET PROFESSIONAL HELP. BUT HE HOPES THE CHAT BOX CAN BE AN ADJUNCT TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, BUT NOT THE FINAL SAY SO. MY CONCERN IS LESS ABOUT WHAT I’M HEARING. IT’S MORE ABOUT WHAT I’M NOT HEARING. OPENAI SAYS THEY ARE WORKING WITH PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCHERS ON HOW CHATGPT RESPONDS TO THESE CRITICAL MOMENTS. THE COMPANY ALSO SAYS THAT THEY’RE DEVELOPING TOOLS TO POINT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION DURING TIME OF CRISIS. IF YOU ARE EVER IN A CRISIS, YOU CAN CALL 988.

Updated: 12:47 PM CDT Aug 28, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Melania Trump invites K-12 students to participate in nationwide AI challenge contest

Updated: 12:47 PM CDT Aug 28, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

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.Video above: New research shows ChatGPT is causing unhealthy interactions with teens"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."Registration 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.The contest was called for in an executive order signed by President Donald 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."She also highlighted a negative side to AI when she lobbied Congress to pass legislation imposing penalties for online sexual exploitation using imagery that is real or an AI-generated deepfake. President Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law in May and had the first lady sign it, too.

Video above: New research shows ChatGPT is causing unhealthy interactions with teens

"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."

Registration 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.

The contest was called for in an executive order signed by President Donald 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."

She also highlighted a negative side to AI when she lobbied Congress to pass legislation imposing penalties for online sexual exploitation using imagery that is real or an AI-generated deepfake. President Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law in May and had the first lady sign it, too.

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