Attending the lunch, Sirje Karis thanked Melania Trump for her efforts on behalf of children removed by force from Ukraine.
Sirje Karis was the only first lady at the meeting to outline the experience of her country’s schools in using artificial intelligence. She spoke about Estonia’s AI Leap programme, which almost all of the upper secondary schools in the country have joined, involving close to 20,000 students and 5000 teachers.
According to Sirje Karis, the most challenging aspect of introducing AI into education is not the technology itself, but rather transforming education in a way that supports learning and preserves the human aspect of schooling. “The point of using AI in schools shouldn’t be for it to do the thinking for the students, but to help them think for themselves more effectively,” she said. “Learning requires a lot of mental effort, linking new knowledge to what you have already learned, asking questions and grasping the answers.”
Sirje Karis stressed that the adoption of AI in education must begin with support for teachers. “They need to be well trained, but they also need support and time,” she noted. “School culture can’t be changed simply by sending teachers a set of guidelines or issuing them with a new licence.”
On Monday, Sirje Karis attended an event organised by the business-focused ‘Fostering the Future Together’ coalition which looked at ways of boosting cooperation between the public and private sectors to ensure the more responsible implementation of technological innovations. At the event, tech companies showcased their global activities and posited ways of delivering AI and education technology solutions to more children and teachers. Among the companies represented were Adobe, Amazon, Google, Intel, N50, Starlink and Zoom. Estonia was mentioned as a textbook example of a country whose experience could serve as a model for the introduction of similar solutions elsewhere.
Melania Trump unveiled ‘Fostering the Future Together’ – an international initiative that focuses on children’s well-being and the safe and responsible use of technology – at the 80th UN General Assembly in September 2025. The initiative aims to empower children through technology and education in four main areas: the use of
AI in education; education technology; protecting children online; and digital skills. Its inaugural meeting, which was held in March this year, culminated in the largest gathering of first ladies and first gentlemen at the White House for diplomatic purposes in the history of the United States.
Gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD5Bc6
