In today’s edition: Caitlin Clark’s future in the WNBA, the result of OpenAI’s bet on applications, and the first lady’s visit to Washington.
It takes a lot to get Melania Trump out in public. The first lady is best and most often described as “elusive” for how rarely she participates in official White House events in a traditional first lady capacity. During President Trump’s first term, his daughter Ivanka Trump sometimes filled that role; more recently Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, has stepped in.
Perhaps it should be no surprise that the issue that got Melania to re-emerge is what seems to be the defining one of our times: AI.
She hosted the second meeting of the White House Task Force on AI Education yesterday. Alongside Trump cabinet members like Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Melania outlined a techno-optimist view of the future. “The robots are here,” she said. “Our future is no longer science fiction.”
It seems that she’s genuinely interested in tech. The New York Times even described her as a “techno-futurist.” She’s also representing the Presidential AI Challenge, a competition for students to solve problems using AI. She had a memecoin ($MELANIA). Her audiobook was narrated by an AI version of her voice. Even Be Best, her best-known campaign from Trump’s first term, was about cyberbullying.
She’s hardly the only one who feels AI’s pull to Washington. Melania’s event yesterday was followed by a dinner with Trump for the top CEOs in tech and AI. Many of those business leaders have already worked with the administration on the AI action plan it released over the summer. Yesterday, those CEOs “took turns praising Trump,” the Wall Street Journal reported. From Tim Cook to Sam Altman, CEOs thanked the president for being “pro-innovation” and “pro-business” and outlined their commitments to invest in American industry. In return, the president called the dinner party—which also included AMD chief Lisa Su and Oracle CEO Safra Catz—a “high-IQ group.”
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
Caitlin Clark is out for the rest of the WNBA season. After a star-powered rookie year, Clark's injury dims the spotlight on the WNBA's season—while the players try to negotiate a new contract. CNN
Is Bari Weiss going to CBS? Puck reports that Paramount's David Ellison wants to buy the Free Press, the center-right media platform she started, for somewhere between $100 and $200 million. Puck
Fidji Simo revealed her first major project as OpenAI's CEO of applications. The AI giant is developing a LinkedIn competitor that can help match talent with open jobs. TechCrunch
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has a new book coming out. In it, the conservative justice tries to explain the workings of the court—even though recently, it can be hard to explain. New York Times
ON MY RADAR
She decides who's famous enough for free U.S. Open tickets New York Times
Alex Morgan's first major business move started with a simple pink headband The Athletic
U.K. deputy PM Angela Rayner quits, triggering reshuffle Bloomberg
PARTING WORDS
"Have I changed? If I do somehow survive this, am I going to still be me?"
—English soccer star Ellie Roebuck on suffering a stroke at 24
